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Related Concept Videos

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Overview01:03

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Overview

NMR-active nuclei have energy levels called 'spin states' that are associated with the orientations of their nuclear magnetic moments. In the absence of a magnetic field, the nuclear magnetic moments are randomly oriented, and the spin states are degenerate. When an external magnetic field is applied, the spin states have only 2 + 1 orientations available to them. A proton with = ½ has two available orientations. Similarly, for a quadrupolar nucleus with a nuclear spin value of one, the...
Atomic Nuclei: Magnetic Resonance01:05

Atomic Nuclei: Magnetic Resonance

The number of nuclear spins aligned in the lower energy state is slightly greater than those in the higher energy state. In the presence of an external magnetic field, as the spins precess at the Larmor frequency, the excess population results in a net magnetization oriented along the z axis. When a pulse or a short burst of radio waves at the Larmor frequency is applied along the x axis, the coupling of frequencies causes resonance and flips the nuclear spins of the excess population from the...
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes01:23

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes

In the absence of an external magnetic field, nuclear spin states are degenerate and randomly oriented. When a magnetic field is applied, the spins begin to precess and orient themselves along (lower energy) or against (higher energy) the direction of the field. At equilibrium, a slight excess population of spins exists in the lower energy state. Because the direction of the magnetic field is fixed as the z-axis,  the precessing magnetic moments are randomly oriented around the z-axis. This...
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Magnetic Moment00:59

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Magnetic Moment

All atomic nuclei are positively charged. When they have a nonzero spin, they behave like rotating charges. As a consequence of their charge and spin, these nuclei generate a magnetic field (B). This, in turn, gives rise to a magnetic moment (μ), which is randomly oriented in the absence of an external magnetic field. When an external magnetic field (B0) is applied, the magnetic moment vectors can align with the field or against it in 2 + 1 orientations. A hydrogen nucleus, which is just a...
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin01:08

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin

All atomic particles possess an intrinsic angular momentum, or 'spin'. Electrons, protons, and neutrons each have a spin value of ½, although protons and neutrons in nuclei may have higher half-integer spins owing to energetic factors.
Atomic nuclei have a net nuclear spin, , which can have an integer or half-integer value. In atomic nuclei, the spins of protons are paired against each other but not with neutrons, and vice versa. Consequently, an even number of protons does not contribute to...
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution01:14

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution

Near absolute zero temperatures, in the presence of a magnetic field, the majority of nuclei prefer the lower energy spin-up state to the higher energy spin-down state. As temperatures increase, the energy from thermal collisions distributes the spins more equally between the two states. The Boltzmann distribution equation gives the ratio of the number of spins predicted in the spin −½ (N−) and spin +½ (N+) states.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 18, 2026

High-Temperature and High-Pressure In situ Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
08:55

High-Temperature and High-Pressure In situ Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Published on: October 9, 2020

Liquid-state nuclear spin comagnetometers.

M P Ledbetter1, S Pustelny, D Budker

  • 1Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-7300, USA. micah.ledbetter@gmail.com

Physical Review Letters
|September 26, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Nuclear spin comagnetometers utilize ultralow-field nuclear magnetic resonance in solvent mixtures. This technology achieves significant magnetic field fluctuation suppression and high sensitivity for precision measurements.

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Optimizing Magnetic Force Microscopy Resolution and Sensitivity to Visualize Nanoscale Magnetic Domains
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Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
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Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Published on: September 17, 2017

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Last Updated: May 18, 2026

High-Temperature and High-Pressure In situ Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
08:55

High-Temperature and High-Pressure In situ Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Published on: October 9, 2020

Optimizing Magnetic Force Microscopy Resolution and Sensitivity to Visualize Nanoscale Magnetic Domains
07:42

Optimizing Magnetic Force Microscopy Resolution and Sensitivity to Visualize Nanoscale Magnetic Domains

Published on: July 20, 2022

Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
14:55

Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Published on: September 17, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Physics
  • Quantum Sensing
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Background:

  • Nuclear spin comagnetometers offer potential for sensitive measurements.
  • Ultralow-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) provides a sensitive platform for probing nuclear spins.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and demonstrate nuclear spin comagnetometers using mixtures of miscible solvents.
  • To explore applications in precision measurements, including spin-gravity and electric dipole moment experiments.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing Larmor precession of protons and 19F nuclei in a pentane and hexafluorobenzene mixture, monitored by an alkali-vapor magnetometer.
  • Employing spin precession of protons and 129Xe nuclei in a pentane and hyperpolarized liquid xenon mixture, detected with superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs).

Main Results:

  • Achieved transverse relaxation times exceeding 20 seconds.
  • Demonstrated suppression of magnetic field fluctuations by a factor of 3400.
  • Estimated potential for single-shot sensitivity of ~5×10⁻⁹ Hz, improving to ~5×10⁻¹¹ Hz with ~1 day of integration.

Conclusions:

  • The developed nuclear spin comagnetometers show promise for highly sensitive measurements.
  • The technology is applicable to fundamental physics experiments and advanced gyroscope development.