NUCLEAR SPIN SPECTRAL DIFFUSION AND NUCLEAR MOTION EFFECTS IN THE LOW TEMPERATURE BEHAVIOUR OF THE ELECTRON SPIN PHASE MEMORY TIME IN MAGNETICALLY DILUTED SOLID

S. K. Hoffmann, J. Goslar, W. Hilczer, M. Gramza, P. Morawski, M. A. Augustyniak

Institute of Molecular Physics, Polish Academy od Sciences, Smoluchowskiego 17/19, 60-179 Poznan, Poland


The phase memory time TM characterising phase relaxation of the spin packets forming EPR lines was measured for Cu2+ ions in triglycine selenate, NH3+CHCOO- radical in diglycine nitrate and SeO3- - radical in (NH4)3H(SeO4)2 single crystals in the temperature range 4.2-300 K using electron spin echo ESE technique. The paramagnetic centres concentration was relatively low (<1018 spins/g) and the phase relaxation was dominated by nuclear spin spectral diffusion process modulated by molecular motions. The minima observed in the temperature dependence of TM were identified as due to flipping motion of the glycine molecules, rotation of NH3 groups as well as radical and host molecule reorientations. The low temperature TM minima (at of about 50 K) are due to low frequency motions (tc ~= 10-7 s) with very low activation barriers (Ea ~= 1 kJ/mol).