Separation of quadrupolar and magnetic contributions to spin-lattice relaxation in the case of a single isotope

We present a NMR pulse double-irradiation method which allows one to separate magnetic from quadrupolar contributions in the spin–lattice relaxation. The pulse sequence fully saturates one transition while another is observed. In the presence of a Δm = 2 quadrupolar contribution, the intensity of the observed line is altered compared to a standard spin-echo experiment. We calculated analytically this intensity change for spins I = 1, , , thus providing a quantitative analysis of the experimental results. Since the pulse sequence we used takes care of the absorbed radiofrequency power, no problems due to heating arise. The method is especially suited when only one NMR sensitive isotope is available. Different cross-checks were performed to prove the reliability of the results obtained. The applicability of this method is demonstrated by a study of the plane oxygen ¹⁷O (I = ) in the high-temperature superconductor YBa₂Cu₄O₈: the ¹⁷O spin–lattice relaxation rate consists of magnetic as well as quadrupolar contributions.