Research project

EP/D079209/1 Long-lived Spin States

Project overview

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a technique which uses the fact that the nuclei of many atoms act as tiny radiotransmitters, emitting radio signals at precisely-defined frequencies, which can be detected by a carefully-tuned detector. The frequencies and strengths of the signals depend on the magnetic field in which the sample is placed: the higher field, the higher the frequency, and the stronger the signals. In an NMR experiment, the nuclei are first magnetized by placing a sample in a strong magnetic field for some time. A sequence of radiofrequency pulses is then applied to the sample, which then emits radiowaves which can be detected in the radio receiver. The pattern of emitted waves depends on what the nuclei experienced during the pulse sequence. One useful feature is that the nuclei can remember what happened to them some seconds before the radiosignals are emitted. This memory property allows one to track movements such as chemical reactions, the random displacement of molecules, and the flow of blood and other fluids by NMR. Until recently, the memory time of the atomic nuclei was thought to be a fixed property of the substance under study, which could not be changed significantly by the way one does the experiment. However, our group showed in 2004 that for some substances the memory time could be extended by a factor of 10 or more, by applying a certain sequence of radiofrequency pulses. We had demonstrated a new phenomenon which is now called long-lived spin states (LLSS). In this project, we will try to understand the LLSS phenomenon better and learn how to apply it to the study of motional processes. In the long term, this will provide scientists, engineers and doctors with new tools for understanding the behaviour and motion of chemical substances.

Staff

Lead researchers

Professor Malcolm Levitt

Professor of Chemistry
Research interests
  • Magnetic Resonance
  • Endofullerenes
Connect with Malcolm

Research outputs

Jiri Bocan, Giuseppe Pileio & Malcolm H. Levitt, 2012, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 14(46), 16032-16040
DOI:
Type: article
Christoffer Laustsen, Giuseppe Pileio, Michael C.D. Tayler, Lynda J. Brown, Richard C.D. Brown, Malcolm H. Levitt & Jan H. Ardenkjaer-Larsen, 2012, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 68(4), 1262-1265
DOI:
Type: article
Malcolm H. Levitt, 2012, Annual Review of Physical Chemistry, 63(1), 89-105
DOI:
Type: article
Michael C.D. Tayler, Irene Marco-Rius, Mikko I. Kettunen, Kevin M. Brindle, Malcolm H. Levitt & Giuseppe Pileio, 2012, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 134(18), 7668-7671
DOI:
Type: article
R.K. Ghosh, S.J. Kadlecek, J.H. Ardenkjaer-Larsen, B.M. Pullinger, G. Pileio, M.H. Levitt, N.N. Kuzma & R.R. Rizi, 2011, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 66(4), 1177-1180
DOI:
Type: article
Giuseppe Pileio, Marina Carravetta & Malcolm H. Levitt, 2010, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107(40), 17135-17139
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Type: article
Giuseppe Pileio, Marina Carravetta & Malcolm H. Levitt, 2009, Physical Review Letters, 103(8), 083002-[4pp]
DOI:
Type: article