Local degrees of freedom and nuclear quadrupolar spin relaxation in liquid metals and alloys

Abstract

We discuss the temperature dependence of the nuclear quadrupolar spin relaxation rate in metals and alloys. Four different relaxation processes must be distinguished: Hard collisions, diffusion, decay of associates and rotational diffusion. The latter two processes are important in alloys of strongly interacting alloying partners, the former in pure metals (collision) and ideal or regular mixtures. Diffusion is important if the alloying partners produce different electrical field gradients.