"Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance: the Poor Cousin Makes Good"
Karen Sauer
George Mason University
Wednesday, March 8, 2006 -11 AM - 12:00 Noon in 375 Le Conte Hall
Abstract
Nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR), long considered the poor cousin to the powerhouse
nuclear magnetic resonance, inherently suffers from low sensitivity as transition
frequencies are typically on the order of a MHz. Nevertheless, the convenience of
working without a large static field makes NQR attractive for certain applications,
most notably explosives detection. Our recent work shows that the sensitivity of this
technique can be significantly enhanced by exploiting the heterogeneous and homogeneous
couplings between neighboring nuclei in the crystalline solid.
In this talk , I will discuss experimental results and theory which explain the physics
of how such couplings can be easily manipulated through the use of small radio-frequency
and static field pulses. I will also explore, conversely, how NQR could be used to
characterize these couplings.
