NMR studies of U0.2Y0.8Pd3 and YPd3 at low temperatures

We report results of ⁸⁹Y-NMR measurements on U_0.2Y_0.8Pd₃ as well as YPd₃, performed at frequencies between 9 and 16MHz and at temperatures between 0.25 and 2 K. In this temperature range the average Knight shift is +0.5%, temperature-independent and the same for both materials. Also the NMR linewidth for both compounds was found to be temperature and field independent but one order of magnitude larger for U_0.2Y_0.8Pd₃ than for YPd₃. For U_0.2Y_0.8Pd₃ our results indicate a distribution of internal static fields at the Y sites and a small temperature-dependent enhancement of the spin-lattice relaxation rate T ₁ ^?1 with respect to YPd₃. The NMR spectra are consistent with the presence of very small frozen U moments, but the temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation rate indicates a more complicated situation. In particular (T₁T)^?1 shows an anomalous temperature dependence.     

Proton NMR study of α-MnH0.06

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra and spin-lattice relaxation rates for the solid solution α-MnH_0.06 have been measured over the temperature range 11-297 K and the resonance frequency range 20-90 MHz. A considerable shift and broadening of the proton NMR line and a sharp peak of the spin-lattice relaxation rate are observed near 130 K. These effects are attributed to the onset of antiferromagnetic ordering below the Néel temperature T_N≈130 K. The proton NMR line does not disappear in the antiferromagnetic phase; this suggests a small magnitude of the local magnetic fields at H-sites in α-MnH_0.06. The spin-lattice relaxation rate in the paramagnetic phase is dominated by the effects of spin fluctuations.     

Temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation time for quadrupole nuclei under conditions of NMR line saturation

The contributions of different mechanisms of nuclear spin-lattice relaxation are experimentally separated for ⁶⁹Ga and ⁷¹Ga nuclei in GaAs crystals (nominally pure and doped with copper and chromium), ²³Na nuclei in a nominally pure NaCl crystal, and ²⁷Al nuclei in nominally pure and lightly chromium-doped Al₂O₃ crystals in the temperature range 80–300 K. The contribution of impurities to spin-lattice relaxation is separated under the condition of additional stationary saturation of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) line in magnetic and electric resonance fields. It is demonstrated that, upon suppression of the impurity mechanism of spin-lattice relaxation, the temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation time T₁ for GaAs and NaCl crystals is described within the model of two-phonon Raman processes in the Debye approximation, whereas the temperature dependence of T₁ for corundum crystals deviates from the theoretical curve for relaxation due to the spin-phonon interaction.     

La NMR and As NQR study of the As-based filled skutterudite LaOs4As12

We report experimental results of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at the La site and nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) at the As site in the normal state of the superconducting compound LaOs₄As₁₂. Measurements have been performed on powder sample obtained from high quality single crystals. The temperature dependences of the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rates, 1/T₁, of ⁷⁵As and ¹³⁹La nuclei were measured. No scaling between them was found indicating a local character of relaxation processes. The relaxation of ⁷⁵As nuclei can consistently be understood in terms of antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations, as deduced from the T-dependence of (1/T₁T)=C/(T−θ)^1/2.     

Study of slow molecular motions in α-Crystallin by proton magnetic spin-lattice relaxation in the doubly rotating frame

Proton magnetic spin-lattice relaxation in the effective field H₂ acting in the doubly rotating frame (DRF) was first applied to the study of slow internal protein dynamics in the submillisecond range of correlation times in the solid state. In this method the local dipolar magnetic field is reduced by the magic-angle rotating-frame method so that the resonance frequency of the relaxation experiment may be set below the value of the local field. As a result, unachievable by the standard nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation techniques, slow molecular motions become experimentally accessible. The second effective field H₂ is produced by the shallow sine-wave phase modulation of the H₁ pulse. The registration of the DRF spin-lattice relaxation signal takes place directly during the continuous H₁ pulse by means of an additional low-frequency radio-frequency coil oriented along the H₀ field and operating at the rotating-frame NMR frequency of 100 kHz. The measurements of the spin-lattice relaxation time in the DRF within a wide temperature range have been performed in dry and hydrated α-crystallin powders. This is the major protein in the eye lens, which prevents the uncontrolled aggregation of proteins and keeps the lens transparent. The results demonstrate that the protein hydration does not change the amplitude of slow side-chain motions but significantly shortens its correlation time: from about 50 to about 0.5 μs in dry and hydrated samples, respectively. The hydration also decreases the activation energy and restricts the distribution of the correlation times.     

Mechanical detection of nuclear spin relaxation in a micron-size crystal

A room temperature nuclear magnetic resonance force microscope (MRFM), fitted in a 1 tesla electromagnet, has been used to measure the nuclear spin relaxation of ¹H in a micron-size (70 ng) crystal of ammonium sulfate. NMR sequences, combining both pulsed and continuous wave radio-frequency fields, have allowed us to measure mechanically T₂ and T₁, the transverse and longitudinal spin relaxation times. Because two spin species with different T₁ values are measured in our 7 μm thick crystal, magnetic resonance imaging of their spatial distribution inside the sample section have been performed. To understand quantitatively the measured signal, we carefully study the influence of spin-lattice relaxation and non-adiabaticity of the continuous-wave sequence on the intensity and time dependence of the detected signal. Received 23 February 2000     

Molecular motions in chloramphenicol studied by35Cl nuclear quadrupole and1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The³⁵Cl nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) frequency (v_Q), nuclear quadrupole spinlattice relaxation time (T_1Q),¹H nuclear magnetic resonance second moment (M₂) and nuclear magnetic spin-lattice relaxation timeT ₁) were measured for polycrystalline chloramphenicol (drug) as a function of temperature. Hindered rotation of the CHC1₂ group and the phenyl ring was detected, the relevant activation energies were determined. The rotations are discussed in detail.     

<Superscript>27</Superscript>Al NMR Study of the Structure and Dynamics of Natrolite

The temperature dependences of nuclear magnetic resonance and magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of ²⁷Al nuclei in natrolite (Na₂Al₂Si₃O₁₀· 2H₂O) have been studied. The influence of water molecules and sodium ions mobility on the shape of the ²⁷Al NMR spectrum and framework dynamics have been discussed The temperature dependences of the spin–lattice relaxation times T₁ of ²⁷Al nuclei in natrolite have also been studied. It has been shown that the spin–lattice relaxation of the ²⁷Al is governed by the electric quadrupole interaction with the crystal electric field gradients modulated by translational motion of H₂O molecules in the natrolite pores. The dipolar interactions with paramagnetic impurities become significant as a relaxation mechanism of the ²⁷Al nuclei only at low temperatures (<270 K).     

35Cl NQR and2H NMR analysis of the critical dynamics close to the displacive normal-incommensurate phase transition in an organic crystal

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments,³⁵C1 nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) and²H NMR, have been performed close to the displacive normal-incommensurate phase transition in the organic crystal of bis-(4-chlorophenyl)-sulfone. Calculations using coherent neutron scattering results show that the soft-mode contribution cannot explain the rapid increase of the spin-lattice relaxation rates close to the transition temperature. Calculations of the spectral densities taking into account the existence of a central-peak phenomenon describe both³⁵C1 NQR and²H NMR spin-lattice relaxation rates on approaching the phase transition. In this way, the width of the central peak can be estimated to be in the range of several gigahertz.     

19F nuclear spin relaxation and spin diffusion effects in the single-ion magnet LiYF4:Ho3+

Temperature and magnetic field dependences of the ¹⁹F nuclear spin-lattice relaxation in a single crystal of LiYF₄ doped with holmium are described by an approach based on a detailed consideration of the magnetic dipole-dipole interactions between nuclei and impurity paramagnetic ions and nuclear spin diffusion processes. The observed non-exponential long time recovery of the nuclear magnetization after saturation at intermediate temperatures is in agreement with predictions of the spin-diffusion theory in a case of the diffusion limited relaxation. At avoided level crossings in the spectrum of electron-nuclear states of Ho^{3 +} ions, rates of nuclear spin-lattice relaxation increase due to quasi-resonant energy exchange between nuclei and paramagnetic ions in contrast to the predominant role played by electronic cross-relaxation processes in the low-frequency ac-susceptibility.     

Phase transition and ferroelastic property studied by using the Cs nuclear magnetic resonance in a CsHSO4 single crystal

The ¹³³Cs spin-lattice relaxation time in a CsHSO₄ single crystal was measured in the temperature range from 300 to 450 K. The changes in the ¹³³Cs spin-lattice relaxation rate near T_c1 (=333 K) and T_c2 (=415 K) correspond to phase transitions in the crystal. The small change in the spin-lattice relaxation time across the phase transition from II to III is due to the fact that during the phase transition, the crystal lattice does not change very much; thus, this transition is a second-order phase transition. The abrupt change of T₁ around T_c2 (II-I phase transition) is due to a structural phase transition from the monoclinic to the tetragonal phase; this transition is a first-order transition. The temperature dependences of the relaxation rates in phases I, II, and III are indicative of a single-phonon process and can be represented by T₁⁻¹=A+BT. In addition, from the stress-strain hysteresis loop and the ¹³³Cs nuclear magnetic resonance, we know that the CsHSO₄ crystal has ferroelastic characteristics in phases II and III.     

The ground state and EPR spectrum in monoclinic KY(WO4)2:Nd single crystal

The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) of Nd³⁺ ion in KY(WO₄)₂ single crystal was investigated at T=4.2 K using an X-band spectrometer. The observed resonance absorption represents the complex superposition of three spectra corresponding to neodymium isotopes with different nuclear momenta. The EPR spectrum is characterized by a strong g-factor anisotropy. The temperature dependences of the g-factor were caused by strong spin-orbit and orbit-lattice coupling. The resonance lines become broader as temperature increases due to the short spin-lattice relaxation time.     

EPR Spectroscopy of Impurity Thulium Ions in Yttrium Orthosilicate Single Crystals

The frequency-field and orientation dependences of the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra are measured for impurity Tm³⁺ ions in yttrium orthosilicate (Y₂SiO₅) single crystals by stationary EPR spectroscopy in the frequency range of 50–100 GHz at 4.2 K. The position of the impurity ion in the crystal lattice and its magnetic characteristics are determined. The temperature dependences of the spin–lattice and phase relaxation times are measured by pulse EPR methods in the temperature range of 5–15 K and the high efficiency of the direct single-phonon mechanism of spin–lattice relaxation is established. This greatly shortens the spin–lattice relaxation time at low temperatures and makes impurity Tm³⁺ ions in Y₂SiO₅ a promising basis for the implementation of high-speed quantum memory based on rare-earth ions in dielectric crystals.     

Transient response of hot electrons in narrow-gap semiconductors at low temperatures in the presence of a longitudinal quantizing magnetic field

Transient response of hot electrons in narrow-gap semiconductors to a step electric field in the presence of a longitudinal quantizing magnetic field has been studied at low temperatures using displaced Maxwellian distribution. The energy and momentum balance equations are used assuming acoustic phonon scattering via deformation potential responsible for the energy relaxation and elastic acoustic phonon scattering together with ionized impurity scattering for momentum relaxation. The calculations for the variation of drift velocity and electron temperature as functions of time are made for n-Hg_0.8Cd_0.2 Te in the extreme quantum limit at 1.5 K and 4.2 K. The momentum and energy relaxation times are found to be of the same order of magnitudes as with the experimental values. The magnetic field and lattice temperature dependences of the relaxation rates have been investigated.One of the authors, Suchandra Bhaumik, acknowledges the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (New Delhi) for financial support.     

NMR studies of magnetic properties in Heusler-type Mn 3 Si

In order to microscopically investigate the magnetic properties of both paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic phases in Mn₃Si (T _N?=?23 K), the ⁵⁵Mn NMR has been carried out at temperatures between 2.2 K and 300 K. The temperature dependences of the spectrum, Knight shift (or resonance frequency shift) and spin-lattice relaxation time T ₁ of ⁵⁵Mn NMR have been measured. In the paramagnetic phase, only one resonance spectrum can be obtained. The observed spectrum is identified to be a signal corresponding to the Mn(II) site. In the antiferromagnetic phase, two different spectra corresponding to the Mn(I) and Mn(II) sites are found at the resonance frequencies of 145 and 6 MHz, respectively, by the zero field NMR at 4.2 K. From these results, the internal magnetic fields on the ⁵⁵Mn(I) and ⁵⁵Mn(II) nuclei are found to be 13.6 and 0.6 T, respectively. According to the NMR results, the helical structure in incommensurate Mn spin states is better explained compared with the transverse sinusoidal structure.     

Nuclear spin-lattice relaxation of60Co in ferromagnetic alloys Pt99Co1 and Pd99Co1

Nuclear spin-lattice relaxation (SLR) of⁶⁰Co in the systems Pt₉₉Co₁, Pd₉₉Co₁ has been studied by very low temperature nuclear orientation technique. The thermal cycling method has been used. The difference of two orders of magnitude of Korringa constant has been found between Pt₉₉Co₁ and Pd₉₉Co₁.     

Proton NMR and susceptibility measurements on the magnetic core of ferritin

We report an investigation of the magnetic core of the biomolecule ferritin by means of proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and relaxation, magnetic susceptibility and scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurements. SEM images show that the outer protein shell is taken out completely by an appropriate chemical treatment and indicate particle sizes ranging from 10² to 10⁴ nm. Susceptibility measurements show a maximum in the zero-field-cooled data which is strongly field-dependent and can be ascribed to superparamagnetic behavior, whereas the hysteresis curve is different from normal ferritin. Proton NMR and spin-lattice relaxation data as a function of temperature at 4.7 T suggest the presence of an antiferromagnetic transition around 100 K.     

Nuclear spin-lattice relaxation in the mixed state of superconducting niobium

Pulsed NMR measurements of the spin-lattice relaxation timeT ₁ have been carried out in niobium metal, in order to investigate the elementary excitation spectrum in the superconducting mixed state. The dependences ofT ₁ on temperature, external field, and mean free path were determined. The results below ～5°K were in agreement with the theory of field-induced gapless superconductivity. The best fit was obtained with a scale factor 0.35±0.2, in agreement with recent ultrasonic attenuation results. Anomalously fast relaxation was observed above ～5°K, which could not be interpreted in terms of the present theory of thermal vortex fluctuations.     

Magnetic properties of Heisenberg triangular antiferromagnet V15 cluster studied by NMR

The magnetic properties of an s?=?1/2 Heisenberg triangular antiferromagnet V15 have been studied by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at very low temperature down to 100 mK using a He³-He⁴ dilution refrigerator. In total spin S _T?=?3/2 ground state above 2.7 Tesla, proton spin-lattice relaxation rate (1/T₁) shows thermally activated behavior as a function of temperature. On the other hand, a temperature independent behavior of 1/T₁ at very low temperatures is observed in frustrated S _T?=?1/2 ground state below 2.7 Tesla. Possible origins for the peculiar behavior of 1/T₁ will be discussed in terms of magnetic fluctuations due to spin frustration.     

Spin-lattice relaxation in cuprate superconductors

This presentation gives a personal review of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) spin-lattice relaxation studies in cuprate superconductors mainly dealing with the YBa₂Cu₄O₈ compound with many examples from the Zürich laboratory. The studies were performed in both the normal and the superconducting state with various NMR isotopes (e.g.,¹⁷O,^63,65Cu,^135,137Ba). The relatively broad signals were mostly obtained by a phase-alternating add-subtract spin-echo technique. We will discuss the general behavior of spin-lattice relaxation in the normal state and the calculation of the dynamic spin including an approach (on the basis of thet-J model) to calculate the relaxation for plane copper, oxygen, and yttrium. An application of the Luttingerliquid model to the relaxation of chain copper in YBa₂Cu₃O₇ and YBa₂Cu₄O₈ is also given. We then will deal with characteristic features of the YBa₂Cu₄O₈ structure: the spin gap, an electronic crossover in the normal state, the single-spin fluid model, and the d-wave pairing.