- Physical Review Journals
All JournalsPhysics Magazine

Physical Review A

Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Open Access

Spin manipulation and nuclear polarization enhancement in particle beams with static magnetic fields

C. S. Kannis1,*, R. Engels2,3,†, T. El-Kordy4,5, N. Faatz2,3,6, S. J. Pütz2,3,7, V. Verhoeven8, T. P. Rakitzis9,10, and M. Büscher1,11,‡

  • *Contact author: c.kannis@fz-juelich.de
  • †Contact author: r.w.engels@fz-juelich.de
  • ‡Contact author: m.buescher@fz-juelich.de
PDF

Phys. Rev. A 112, 012801 – Published 2 July, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4nr6-xt7m

Abstract

A theoretical study of spin dynamics in nonrelativistic particle beams with interacting angular momenta traversing static, spatially varying magnetic fields is presented. The computational framework evaluates sinusoidal magnetic field configurations, calculating key observables such as average spin projections and state populations during the interaction. It is demonstrated that such fields can effectively enhance nuclear polarization in partially, incoherently polarized hydrogen and deuterium atomic beams, as well as coherently rotationally state-selected hydrogen deuteride molecular beams. This enhancement is attributed to transitions induced within the hyperfine regime of these systems. The study spans frequency ranges from gigahertz scales for atoms to hundreds of kilohertz for molecules, corresponding to magnetic field variations on spatial scales from submillimeters to meters.

View figure in article

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Article Text

References (54)

  1. M. P. M. Letertre, P. Giraudeau, and P. de Tullio, Front. Mol. Biosci. 8, 698337 (2021).
  2. S. Jørgensen, N. Bøgh, E. Hansen, M. Væggemose, H. Wiggers, and C. Laustsen, Semin. Nucl. Med. 52, 374 (2022).
  3. J. Eills, D. Budker, S. Cavagnero, E. Y. Chekmenev, S. J. Elliott, S. Jannin, A. Lesage, J. Matysik, T. Meersmann, T. Prisner, J. A. Reimer, H. Yang, and I. V. Koptyug, Chem. Rev. 123, 1417 (2023).
  4. N. A. Gershenfeld and I. L. Chuang, Science 275, 350 (1997).
  5. P. G. Harris, C. A. Baker, K. Green, P. Iaydjiev, S. Ivanov, D. J. R. May, J. M. Pendlebury, D. Shiers, K. F. Smith, M. van der Grinten, and P. Geltenbort, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 904 (1999).
  6. M. P. Mendenhall et al. (UCNA Collaboration), Phys. Rev. C 87, 032501(R) (2013).
  7. A. K. Spiliotis, M. Xygkis, K. Tazes, G. E. Katsoprinakis, D. Sofikitis, G. Vasilakis, and T. P. Rakitzis, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 23, 21521 (2021).
  8. C. P. Koch, M. Lemeshko, and D. Sugny, Rev. Mod. Phys. 91, 035005 (2019).
  9. R. M. Kulsrud, H. P. Furth, E. J. Valeo, and M. Goldhaber, Phys. Rev. Lett. 49, 1248 (1982).
  10. Nuclear Fusion with Polarized Fuel, edited by G. Ciullo, R. Engels, M. Büscher, and A. Vasilyev, Springer Proceedings in Physics Vol. 187 (Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, 2016).
  11. W. W. Heidbrink, L. R. Baylor, M. Büscher, R. W. Engels, A. V. Garcia, A. G. Ghiozzi, G. W. Miller, A. M. Sandorfi, X. Wei, and X. Zheng, Front. Phys. 12, 1355212 (2024).
  12. J. Parisi, A. Diallo, and J. Schwartz, Nucl. Fusion 64, 126019 (2024).
  13. M. W. Ahmed and H. R. Weller, J. Fusion Energy 33, 103 (2014).
  14. H. A. Bethe and E. E. Salpeter, Quantum Mechanics of One- and Two-Electron Atoms (Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 1957).
  15. A. Cesati, F. Cristofori, L. M. Colli, and P. G. Sona, Energ. Nucl. 13, 649 (1966).
  16. A. Kponou, A. Zelenski, S. Kokhanovski, and V. Zubets, AIP Conf. Proc. 980, 241 (2008).
  17. E. Steffens and W. Haeberli, Rep. Prog. Phys. 66, R02 (2003).
  18. Practically, a small, well-controlled magnetic field aligned with the polarization axis (quantization axis) is often applied to minimize unwanted spin precession.
  19. M. Diermaier, C. B. Jepsen, B. Kolbinger, C. Malbrunot, O. Massiczek, C. Sauerzopf, M. C. Simon, J. Zmeskal, and E. Widmann, Nat. Commun. 8, 15749 (2017).
  20. N. Kolachevsky, A. Matveev, J. Alnis, C. G. Parthey, S. G. Karshenboim, and T. W. Hänsch, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 213002 (2009).
  21. R. Engels, R. Emmerich, J. Ley, G. Tenckhoff, H. Paetz gen. Schieck, M. Mikirtytchiants, F. Rathmann, H. Seyfarth, and A. Vassiliev, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 74, 4607 (2003).
  22. C. Kannis, Theoretical and experimental investigation of Sona transitions, Ph.D. thesis, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen (2023).
  23. R. Engels, M. Büscher, P. Buske, Y. Gan, K. Grigoryev, C. Hanhart, L. Huxold, C. S. Kannis, A. Lehrach, H. Soltner, and V. Verhoeven, Eur. Phys. J. D 75, 257 (2021).
  24. P. G. Sona, Energ. Nucl. 14, 295 (1967).
  25. T. P. Rakitzis, P. C. Samartzis, R. L. Toomes, T. N. Kitsopoulos, A. Brown, G. G. Balint-Kurti, O. S. Vasyutinskii, and J. A. Beswick, Science 300, 1936 (2003).
  26. A. K. Spiliotis, M. Xygkis, M. E. Koutrakis, K. Tazes, G. K. Boulogiannis, C. S. Kannis, G. E. Katsoprinakis, D. Sofikitis, and T. P. Rakitzis, Light Sci. Appl. 10, 35 (2021).
  27. T. P. Rakitzis, Chem. Phys. Chem. 5, 1489 (2004).
  28. D. Sofikitis, C. S. Kannis, G. K. Boulogiannis, and T. P. Rakitzis, Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 083001 (2018).
  29. A. Cesati, F. Cristofori, and L. M. Colli, Phys. Lett. 21, 331 (1966).
  30. D. J. Wineland and N. F. Ramsey, Phys. Rev. A 5, 821 (1972).
  31. D. Sofikitis, P. Glodic, G. Koumarianou, H. Jiang, L. Bougas, P. C. Samartzis, A. Andreev, and T. P. Rakitzis, Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 233401 (2017).
  32. N. Kolachevsky, P. Fendel, S. G. Karshenboim, and T. W. Hänsch, Phys. Rev. A 70, 062503 (2004).
  33. N. F. Ramsey and H. R. Lewis, Phys. Rev. 108, 1246 (1957).
  34. N. F. Ramsey, Phys. Rev. 91, 303 (1953).
  35. N. F. Ramsey, Molecular Beams (Oxford University Press, New York, 1955).
  36. N. Mukherjee and R. N. Zare, J. Chem. Phys. 132, 154302 (2010).
  37. N. V. Vitanov, A. A. Rangelov, B. W. Shore, and K. Bergmann, Rev. Mod. Phys. 89, 015006 (2017).
  38. R. Altkorn, R. N. Zare, and C. H. Greene, Mol. Phys. 55, 1 (1985).
  39. A. Orr-Ewing, W. Simpson, T. Rakitzis, and R. Zare, Isr. J. Chem. 34, 95 (1994).
  40. T. P. Rakitzis, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 083005 (2005).
  41. N. C.-M. Bartlett, J. Jankunas, R. N. Zare, and J. A. Harrison, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 12, 15689 (2010).
  42. N. C.-M. Bartlett, D. J. Miller, R. N. Zare, A. J. Alexander, D. Sofikitis, and T. P. Rakitzis, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 11, 142 (2009).
  43. C. S. Kannis, G. E. Katsoprinakis, D. Sofikitis, and T. P. Rakitzis, Phys. Rev. A 98, 043426 (2018).
  44. I. Galili and D. Kaplan, Am. J. Phys. 65, 657 (1997).
  45. J. König, Eur. J. Phys. 42, 045204 (2021).
  46. F. M. Levinton, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 70, 810 (1999).
  47. N. Faatz, Simulation of the occupation numbers of hyperfine substates passing external fields, Master's thesis, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen (2023).
  48. N. Faatz, R. Engels, C. Kannis, B. Breitkreutz, and H. Soltner, Phys. Open 22, 100248 (2025).
  49. P. A. Ivanov, N. V. Vitanov, and K. Bergmann, Phys. Rev. A 70, 063409 (2004).
  50. H. Jóźwiak, H. Cybulski, and P. Wcisło, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 270, 107662 (2021).
  51. C. S. Kannis and T. P. Rakitzis, Chem. Phys. Lett. 784, 139092 (2021).
  52. C. S. Kannis, J. Suarez, and T. P. Rakitzis, Mol. Phys. 120, e1975053 (2022).
  53. Y. Nagata, S. Kurokawa, and A. Hatakeyama, J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 50, 105002 (2017).
  54. H. Chadwick, M. F. Somers, A. C. Stewart, Y. Alkoby, T. J. D. Carter, D. Butkovicova, and G. Alexandrowicz, Nat. Commun. 13, 2287 (2022).

Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. A 112, 012801– Published 2 July, 2025
  • Received 9 April 2025
  • Accepted 10 June 2025
Crossmark - Check for updates button
Creative Commons Logo

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation