The effect of spin relaxation on ENDOR spectra recorded at high magnetic fields and low temperatures

A simple theoretical model that describes the pulsed Davies electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) experiment for an electron spin S = (1/2) coupled to a nuclear spin I = (1/2) was developed to account for unusual W-band (95 GHz) ENDOR effects observed at low temperatures. This model takes into account the thermal polarization along with all internal relaxation processes in a four-level system represented by the electron- and nuclear-spin relaxation times T(1e) and T(1n), respectively, and the cross-relaxation time, T(1x). It is shown that under conditions of sufficiently high thermal spin polarization, nuclei can exhibit asymmetric ENDOR spectra in two cases: the first when t(mix) > T(1e) and T(1n), T(1x) > T(1e), where ENDOR signals from the alpha manifold are negative and those of the beta manifold positive, and the second when the cross- and/or nuclear-relaxation times are longer than the repetition time (t(mix) < T(1e) < t(R) and T(1n), T(1x) > t(R)). In that case the polarization of the ENDOR signals becomes opposite to the previous case, the lines in the alpha manifolds are positive, and those of the beta manifold are negative. This case is more likely to be encountered experimentally because it does not require a very long mixing time and is a consequence of the saturation of the nuclear transitions. Using this model the experimental t(mix) and t(R) dependencies of the W-band (1)H ENDOR amplitudes of [Cu(imidazole)(4)]Cl(2) were reproduced and the values of T(1e) and T(1x) > T(1e) were determined. The presence of asymmetry in the ENDOR spectrum is useful as it directly provides the sign of the hyperfine coupling. The presented model allows the experimentalist to adjust experimental parameters, such as t(mix) and t(R), in order to optimize the desired appearance of the spectrum.     

多核芳烃正离子自由基的ENDOR和EPR研究

用EPR和ENDOR方法检测傅氏烷基化反应(Friedel-Crufts reaction)中所生成的多核芳烃正离子自由基:1,4,5,8-四甲基惠、9,10-二氘代-1,4,5,8-四甲基蒽、2,6,9,10-四甲基蒽、2,6-二甲基-9,10-二(对甲苯基)蒽、3,6,11,14-四甲基二苯并(a,c)三亚苯正离子自由基,测定了它们的超精细偶合常数并提出了其生成机理。     

EPR and ENDOR study of an oxygen-vacancy-associated Ti center in RbTiOPO4 crystals

The dominant Ti³⁺ trapped electron center in flux-grown RbTiOPO₄ (RTP) crystals has been characterized using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron–nuclear double resonance (ENDOR). This center is produced during an X-ray irradiation at room temperature when a Ti⁴⁺ ion traps an electron and becomes a Ti³⁺ ion, and is best studied in the 30–40 K range. The EPR spectrum contains a three-line hyperfine pattern from two nearly equivalent neighboring ³¹P nuclei, along with hyperfine lines from the ⁴⁷Ti and ⁴⁹Ti nuclei. The g matrix, determined from the angular dependence of the EPR spectrum, has principal values of 1.819, 1.889, and 1.947. Hyperfine matrices for four ³¹P nuclei are obtained from the angular dependence of the ENDOR spectrum. The proposed model for this defect is a Ti³⁺ ion adjacent to an oxygen vacancy at an OT position. Analogies are made to a similar Ti³⁺ center in KTiOPO₄ (KTP) crystals.     

A Multi-Frequency EPR and ENDOR Study of Rh and Ir Complexes in Alkali and Silver Halides

Aliovalent Rh and Ir cations have been frequently used to influence the photographic properties of silver halide emulsions. The doping introduces several types of related defects with distinct trapping and recombination properties. EPR and ENDOR are, in principle, ideally suited for the determination of the microscopic structure of the individual centres but it will be demonstrated that well-chosen, sometimes sophisticated multi-frequency experiments are necessary in order to (partially) reach this goal. Model studies on single crystals of AgCl and NaCl also appeared indispensable for the unravelling of the spectra.

In the review of Rh-centres in NaCl and AgCl special attention is paid to methods that allow to detect cation vacancies near Rh^2? complexes. An alternative explanation for the high temperature behaviour of the [RhCl₆]^4? complexes in AgCl is presented.     

The solution conformation of triarylmethyl radicals

Hyperfine coupling tensors to 1H, 2H, and natural abundance 13C were measured using X-band pulsed electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy for two triarylmethyl (trityl) radicals used in electron paramagnetic resonance imaging and oximetry: methyl tris(8-carboxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-benzo[1,2d:4,5-d']bis(1,3)dithiol-4-yl) and methyl tris(8-carboxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl(-d3)-benzo[1,2d:4,5-d']bis(1,3)dithiol-4-yl). Quantum chemical calculations using density functional theory predict a structure that reproduces the experimentally determined hyperfine tensors. The radicals are propeller-shaped with the three aryl rings nearly mutually orthogonal. The central carbon atom carrying most of the unpaired electron spin density is surrounded by the sulfur atoms in the radical and is completely shielded from solvent. This structure explains features of the electron spin relaxation of these radicals and suggests ways in which the radicals can be chemically modified to improve their characteristics for imaging and oximetry.     

High-frequency EPR applications of open nonradiative resonators

A new class of open single-mode cavities, the nonradiative (NR) resonators, has recently been proposed in order to overcome the limitations of standard cylindrical cavities and Fabry-Perot resonators at millimeter wavelengths. This paper presents the first applications of a NR resonator in W-band pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. It consists of a cylindrical cavity having a lateral aperture that represents about 35% of its total height. Electron-spin-echo measurements performed on different samples show that the signal-to-noise ratio and the optimal pulse length obtained with the proposed device are comparable to those obtained with the closed cavity used in the commercial W-band spectrometer, at both cryogenic and room temperature. Similar results have been obtained for paramagnetic species optically activated by means of an optical fiber inserted in the aperture of the resonator. The insertion losses estimated for the probe employed with the NR resonator are higher than those of the commercial probe, hence, demonstrating that the proposed cavity holds the promise of improved resonator performance.     

Cryogenic 35 GHz pulse ENDOR probehead accommodating large sample sizes: Performance and applications

The construction and performance of a cryogenic 35 GHz pulse electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) probehead for large samples is presented. The resonator is based on a rectangular TE₁₀₂ cavity in which the radio frequency (rf) B₂-field is generated by a two turn saddle ENDOR coil crossing the resonator along the sample axis with minimal distance to the sample tube. An rf power efficiency factor is used to define the B₂-field strength per square-root of the transmitted rf power over the frequency range 2–180 MHz. The distributions of the microwave B₁- and E₁-field, and the rf B₂-field are investigated by electromagnetic field calculations. All dielectrics, the sample tube, and coupling elements are included in the calculations. The application range of the probehead and the advantages of using large sample sizes are demonstrated and discussed on a number of paramagnetic samples containing transition metal ions.     

Direct EPR detection of transient and continuous wave signals at 2.5 GHz

Direct detection of free induction decays and electron spin echoes, and the recording of echo-detected EPR spectra and electron spin echo envelope modulation patterns at a microwave frequency of 2.5 GHz is demonstrated. This corresponds to the measurement of the transverse magnetization in the laboratory frame, rather than in the rotating frame as usually done by down-converting the signal (homodyne detection). An oscilloscope with a 6-GHz analog bandwidth, a sampling rate of 20 GigaSamples per second, and a trigger frequency of 5 GHz for the edge trigger and 750 MHz for the advanced trigger, is used in these experiments. For signal averaging a 3-GHz microwave clock divider has been developed to synchronize the oscilloscope with the frequency of the EPR signal. Moreover, direct detection of continuous wave EPR signals at 2.5 GHz is described.     

Multifrequency EPR spectra of molecular oxygen in solid Air

Multifrequency EPR spectra in the 94 to 550 GHz range were performed on solid air samples condensed at 5 K in the waveguide of a single pass probe. The spectra of molecular oxygen were observed and interpreted in the frame of the spin Hamiltonian model as axial S = 1 spectra with a zero field splitting parameter D = 3.572(3) cm⁻¹. The result of this study is relevant in the field of high field–high frequency EPR application in which solid air O₂ is a common paramagnetic impurity.     

A Davies/Hahn multi-sequence for studies of spin relaxation in pulsed ENDOR

We extend earlier studies of the effects of relaxation on the intensities of pulsed ENDOR signals by introducing a Davies/Hahn (D/H) pulsed ENDOR multi-sequence that corresponds to a series of Davies sequences with the preparation pulse 'turned off'. In this pulse train, the Hahn [pi/2, pi] detection pulse pair of sequence n-1 both generates the echo detected for that sequence and acts as the preparation portion of sequence n, in effect replacing the pi preparation pulse of the Davies sequence. We show both theoretically, through a master-equation approach, and with both (1)H(I=1/2) and (14)N(I=1) ENDOR experiments on the non-heme Fe enzymes, superoxide reductase (SOR) (S=1/2) and AntDO (S=3/2), that under conditions of high electron-spin polarization (high microwave frequency/low temperature) the D/H multi-sequence allows simplification of ENDOR spectra by suppression of nuclear transitions associated with the m(S)=+1/2 (alpha) manifold. As such suppression depends on the sign of A, it allows determination of this sign. The suppression as a function of the time between individual sequences is found to exhibit behaviors that can be classified into three regimes of the ratio of cross-relaxation to spin-lattice relaxation rates: strong cross-relaxation (X-case); comparable rates (XL); negligible cross relaxation (L). Interestingly, the ENDOR behavior of the S=1/2 SOR center indicates it is an L case, while the S=3/2 AntDO is an L case. Overall, the D/H protocol appears to be a robust and general tool for using relaxation effects to manipulate ENDOR spectra.     

Application of 150GHz quasi-optical EPR and endor systems to examination of materials for polarized nuclear targets

Some possibilities of mm and submm magnetic resonance spectrometers using a two-mirror open resonator as the sensor is demonstrated. A comparative analysis of sensitivity has been performed for spectrometer, with cavity and open resonators. Absorption spectra of the HMBA Cr^V complex in propylene glycol and ethylene glycol were investigated at 4.2 K.     

Optimisation of an EPR dosimetry system for robust and high precision dosimetry

Clinical applications of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) dosimetry systems demand high accuracy causing time consuming analysis. The need for high spatial resolution dose measurements in regions with steep dose gradients demands small sized dosimeters. An optimization of the analysis was therefore needed to limit the time consumption. The aim of this work was to introduce a new smaller lithium formate dosimeter model (diameter reduced from standard diameter 4.5 mm to 3 mm and height from 4.8 mm to 3 mm). To compensate for reduced homogeneity in a batch of the smaller dosimeters, a method for individual sensitivity correction suitable for EPR dosimetry was tested. Sensitivity and repeatability was also tested for a standard EPR resonator and a super high Q (SHQE) one. The aim was also to optimize the performance of the dosimetry system for better efficiency regarding measurement time and precision. A systematic investigation of the relationship between measurement uncertainty and number of readouts per dosimeter was performed. The conclusions drawn from this work were that it is possible to decrease the dosimeter size with maintained measurement precision by using the SHQE resonator and introducing individual calibration factors for dosimeter batches. It was also shown that it is possible reduce the number of readouts per dosimeter without significantly decreasing the accuracy in measurements.     

A dual-mode microwave resonator for double electron-electron spin resonance spectroscopy at W-band microwave frequencies

We present a dual-mode resonator operating at/near 94 GHz (W-band) microwave frequencies and supporting two microwave modes with the same field polarization at the sample position. Numerical analysis shows that the frequencies of both modes as well as their frequency separation can be tuned in a broad range up to GHz. The resonator was constructed to perform pulsed ELDOR experiments with a variable separation of "pump" and "detection" frequencies up to Δν=350 MHz. To examine its performance, test ESE/PELDOR experiments were performed on a representative biradical system.     

Ferrimagnetic resonance spectra of magnetic bubble films at low microwave frequencies

Magnetic bubble films exhibit a number of ferrimagnetic resonance modes due to the spatial variation of the anisotropy. The resonance frequencies have been measured as a function of the applied bias fieldH ₀. In the lower field range the magnetization of the transient layer, which has negative anisotropy, is not yet parallel toH ₀. In this range the resonance frequencies are shifted to higher values due to pinning effects. In films grown by the vertical dipping method an additional layer on top of the transient layer is observed within which the magnetization rotates from the direction in the transient layer to that of the bulk of the film. In films grown by horizontal dipping no such layer could be detected. Each ferrimagnetic resonance mode excites transverse elastic waves in the film due to the magnetoelastic interaction and thus gives rise to elastic resonances of the whole crystal, film and substrate. These elastic resonances lead to a fine-structure of the ferrimagnetic resonances. The observed fine-structure vanishes periodically with frequency and from this behaviour the thickness of the magnetic film and of the transient layer has been determined.     

Pulsed EPR imaging of nitroxides in mice

Nitroxides, unlike trityl radicals, have shorter T₂s which until now were not detectable in vivo by a time-domain pulsed Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectrometer at 300 MHz since their phase memory times were shorter than the spectrometer recovery times. In the current version of the time-domain EPR spectrometer with improved spectrometer recovery times, the feasibility of detecting signals from nitroxide radicals was tested. Among the nitroxides evaluated, deuterated ¹⁵N-Tempone (¹⁵N-PDT) was found to have the longest T₂. The signal intensity profile as a function of concentration of these agents was evaluated and a biphasic behavior was observed; beyond a nitroxide concentration of 1.5 mM, signal intensity was found to decrease as a result of self-broadening. Imaging experiments were carried out with ¹⁵N-PDT in solutions equilibrated with 0%, 5%, 10%, and 21% oxygen using the single point imaging (SPI) modality in EPR. The image intensity in these tubes was found to depend on the oxygen concentration which in turn influences the T₂ of ¹⁵N-PDT. In vivo experiments were demonstrated with ¹⁵N-PDT in anesthetized mice where the distribution and metabolism of ¹⁵N-PDT could be monitored. This study, for the first time shows the capability to image a cell-permeable nitroxide in mice using pulsed EPR in the SPI modality.     

EPR study of radiation-induced defects in carbonate-containing hydroxyapatite annealed at high temperature

Radiation-induced (γ or UV) paramagnetic defects in carbonate-containing hydroxyapatite (HAP) annealed at high (600–950 °C) temperature were studied by EPR. The complex spectra reveal the presence of different paramagnetic species. Their contributions were found to be strongly dependent on the annealing temperature as well as microwave power, thus, by the adjustment of experimental conditions some of the components can be eliminated that allowed to record EPR spectra caused by no more than two types of paramagnetic defects. All experimental spectra were analyzed using computer simulation. The parameters of the paramagnetic defects detected were determined, and the centers models were discussed. It was found that high-temperature annealing influences essentially the formation of radiation-induced defects in HAP. The СО₃³⁻, О⁻ centers and oxygen vacancy V_O⁻ were shown to be the main stable γ-induced defects in the HAP annealed at high temperatures. New paramagnetic defect with the parameters g_|| = 2.002, g_⊥ = 2.0135 was detected and tentatively identified as an O-related radical. The γ-induced EPR response from СО₃³⁻ radicals was found to be more intense than response from CO₂⁻ in non-annealed HAP. UV-irradiation was found to create smaller amounts of paramagnetic defects in comparison with γ-rays. Besides, oxygen vacancy V_O⁻ was not observed, while two other centers (СО₃⁻ and the center of unknown nature) appear in the UV-induced EPR spectra.     

Multifrequency Probe for Pulsed EPR and ENDOR Spectroscopy

The design, construction, and performance of a multifrequency pulsed EPR and ENDOR probe for use at cryogenic temperatures are described. Interchangeable resonators based on a folded strip line design allow variation of the resonance frequency over a range of 5-11 GHz. Variable coupling to the resonator is achieved capacitively via a simple mechanical adjustment which is thermally and mechanically stable. The entire assembly is robust and easily fabricated. Common methods of analyzing the resonator parameters such as the Q-factor and coupling coefficient are discussed quantitatively. Probe performance data and multifrequency pulsed ENDOR spectra are presented.     

YAG晶体色心的EPR谱

本文描述了8种YAG样品的室温和77K的EPR谱.从这些谱的参数与光谱的实验数据对照,认为晶体中有三种顺磁性的色心,其中g～2.00和g～1.98两条顺磁谱相应于光谱2×10~4cm~(-1)～3.4×10~4cm~(-1)的吸收带,为YAG基质晶体中的缺陷俘获一个电子构成的电子型缺陷中心;而 g～30.60的顺磁谱线与氧空位和掺杂的金属离子Mg~(2+) 、Cr~(3+)有关,推测为氧空位团或氧空位与金属离子构成的S>1/2的复合顺磁中心缺陷.YAG晶体随着在大气氛中高温退火,氧的进入和金属离子的掺入,造成电子和空间体积的不平衡,从而使晶体色心浓度加大.     

常温下YGaG:Fe3+体系的EPR谱研究

本文采用对角化三角晶场中d5组态离子的完全能量矩阵的方法,研究了YGaG:Fe3 体系的EPR谱与局域晶格畸变的关系,利用EPR谱的低对称参量D和(a-F)的实验值确定出Fe3 离子在YGaG:Fe3 体系中的键长R=0.2005 nm,键角θ=51.498°,以及晶格畸变角Δθ=0.954°。     

Single Crystal Magnetic Resonance Study of a Rh2☎ Dimer Centre in NaCl at Q-Band

Electron nuclear double resonance spectroscopy at 34 GHz is applied to determine the signs of the principal values and the directions of the corresponding principal axes of the zero field splitting tensor for a Rh^2? dimer centre in NaC1. The results are in good agreement with the hypotheses concerning the spin Hamiltonian parameters deduced from the X- and W-band EPR analysis and support the model proposed for this centre consisting of two Rh^2? ions on cation positions and two Na^? vacancies.