Nuclear magnetic resonance study of the relaxation mechanisms of the Be, Al, and Si nuclei in Cr-doped Be3Al2Si6O18 crystals

The variations with temperature of the relaxation mechanisms of the ⁹Be, ²⁷Al, and ²⁹Si nuclei in emerald (Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈:Cr³⁺) single crystals were investigated by using a pulse NMR spectrometer. The values of the spin-lattice relaxation rates for the three nuclei are different, and these differences are attributed to the differences between their Larmor frequencies and their local nuclear environments. The relaxation rates of the ⁹Be and ²⁷Al nuclei undergo no abrupt changes within the temperature range 180-400 K, which indicates that there are no phase transitions within this temperature range. The spin-lattice relaxation rates of ⁹Be and ²⁷Al were found to be proportional to temperature. Therefore, the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation processes of these two nuclei proceed via single-phonon processes.