Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 15, 2026

All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics
Published on: January 19, 2018
Submillisecond hyperpolarization of nuclear spins in silicon
Felix Hoehne1, Lukas Dreher1, David P Franke1
1Walter Schottky Institut, Technische Universität München, Am Coulombwall 4, 85748 Garching, Germany.
Abstract:
In this Letter, we devise a fast and effective nuclear spin hyperpolarization scheme, which is, in principle, magnetic field independent. We use this scheme to experimentally demonstrate polarizations of up to 66% for phosphorus donor nuclear spins in bulk silicon, which are created within less than 100 μs in a magnetic field of 0.35 T at a temperature of 5 K. The polarization scheme is based on a spin-dependent recombination process via weakly coupled spin pairs, for which the recombination time constant strongly depends on the relative orientation of the two spins. We further use this scheme to measure the nuclear spin relaxation time and find a value of ∼100 ms under illumination, in good agreement with the value calculated for nuclear spin flips induced by repeated ionization and deionization processes.
Related Concept Videos
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Overview
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution
Atomic Nuclei: Magnetic Resonance
Double Resonance Techniques: Overview
Spin decoupling is usually achieved by...
Atomic Nuclei: Types of Nuclear Relaxation
In spin–lattice or longitudinal relaxation, the excited spins exchange energy with the surrounding lattice as they return to the lower energy level. Among several mechanisms that contribute to spin–lattice relaxation, magnetic dipolar interactions are significant. Here, the excited nucleus transfers...

