Magnetic moments of short-lived nuclei with part-per-million accuracy: Towards novel applications of $\beta$-detected NMR in physics, chemistry and biology

Abstract

We determine for the first time the magnetic dipole moment of a short-lived nucleus with part-per-million (ppm) accuracy. To achieve this two orders of magnitude improvement over previous studies, we implement a number of innovations into our $\beta$-detected Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ($\beta$-NMR) setup at ISOLDE/CERN. Using liquid samples as hosts we obtain narrow, sub-kHz linewidth, resonances, while a simultaneous in-situ ${}^1$H NMR measurement allows us to calibrate and stabilize the magnetic field to ppm precision, thus eliminating the need for additional $\beta$-NMR reference measurements. Furthermore, we use ab initio calculations of NMR shielding constants to improve the accuracy of the reference magnetic moment, thus removing a large systematic error. We demonstrate the potential of this combined approach with the 1.1 s half-life radioactive nucleus ${}^{26}$Na, which is relevant for biochemical studies. Our technique can be readily extended to other isotopic chains, providing accurate magnetic moments for many short-lived nuclei. Furthermore, we discuss how our approach can open the path towards a wide range of applications of the ultra-sensitive $\beta$-NMR in physics, chemistry, and biology.

re-submitted

References in corpus (4)

• Direct high-precision measurement of the magnetic moment of the proton
• Nature of weak magnetism in SrTiO3/LaAlO3 multilayers
• Peeling off neutron skins from neutron-rich nuclei: Constraints on the symmetry energy from neutron-removal cross sections
• Ground state hyperfine splitting in the Be${}^{+}$ ion

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Polarization-Dependent Disappearance of a Resonance Signal -- Indication for Optical Pumping in a Storage Ring?
• A new beamline for Resonant Excitation of Beams with Electromagnetic fields and Lasers (REBEL) and Stopping and Trapping of Radioactive Isotopes for Precision Experiments (STRIPE)
• High-accuracy liquid-sample $\beta$-NMR setup at ISOLDE