Origin of muon spin relaxation and frequency shift in frozen water explained by spin-dipole quantum coherences
Phys. Rev. B 114, 034106 – Published 7 July, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/jvjm-bn2q
Abstract
To understand the origin of muon spin relaxation and frequency shift in water with temperature, we performed weak transverse-field muon spin rotation and relaxation () measurements over a temperature range of 220 K to 300 K. Using a conventional model with a phenomenological relaxation term, the spin relaxation of diamagnetic muons in frozen water (0.2473 0.0061 MHz at 270 K) was found to be significantly higher than that in liquid water (0.0 0.0020 MHz at 300 K). Furthermore, this conventional model reveals a non-negligible frequency shift below the freezing point. We propose a model that incorporates spin-dipole interactions between the muon in and the nearest-neighboring (first- and second-shell) protons of . This model reproduced the spectra well without the need for a phenomenological relaxation term. The validity of this model and quantitative information about spin-dependent interactions were tested using in under identical field and temperature conditions. We also estimated the fractions of muons precessing with the Zeeman field versus those influenced by combined spin-dipole and Zeeman interactions in and . This study provides deeper insights into behavior in condensed matter, including water, hydrated samples, and aqueous solutions.