9-13 July 2012
Africa/Johannesburg timezone
<a href="http://events.saip.org.za/internalPage.py?pageId=11&confId=14"><font color=#ff0000>SAIP2012 PROCEEDINGS AVAILABLE</font></a>

The Lattice Dynamics of Mercuric Chloride

13 Jul 2012, 11:00
20m
Oral Presentation Track A - Division for Condensed Matter Physics and Materials DCMPM1

Speaker

Dr Jonathan Keartland (University of the Witwatersrand)

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No

Abstract content <br> &nbsp; (Max 300 words)

Measurements of the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation time (T1) of the Cl nuclei in a high purity sample of the molecular solid mercuric chloride (HgCl2) have been made over the temperature range 4 K - 500 K using pure nuclear quadrupole resonance. Spin-lattice relaxation in this material appears to be dominated by lattice vibrations and librations over the entire temperature range investigated. Analysis of the data using available spin-lattice relaxation models has allowed us to estimate the Debye temperature and to follow changes in the lattice dynamics as a function of temperature. At high temperatures (> 350 K) deviations from the expected quadratic relationship between the spin-lattice relaxation rate and temperature have been noted. Further analysis shows this is a thermally activated process. Related changes in the resonance lineshape in this temperature range provide strong evidence of a double potential well in which the nuclei move between two energetically similar positions.

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Yes

Primary author

Dr Jonathan Keartland (University of the Witwatersrand)

Co-author

Mr Eric Newby (University of the Witwatersrand)

Presentation Materials

Peer reviewing

Paper