Magnetic relaxation rates in spin-polarized hydrogen

Abstract

A self-contained discussion is presented of the longitudinal (T 1 −1 ) and transverse (T 2 −1 ) relaxation rates in bulk and surface samples of spin-polarized atomic hydrogen (H↓), at sufficiently low temperatures that only the lowest two atomic hyperfine levels are thermally populated. The nonhydrodynamic contribution to the rates, due to binary collisions between hydrogen atoms, in both normal and Bose condensed samples of H↓ are emphasized. However, the approach is general and is equally well suited for treating long-wavelength, hydrodynamic relaxation processes. Most of the discussion pertains to samples close to thermodynamic equilibrium. The calculation of the longitudinal relaxation rate for some states far from equilibrium, particularly relevant for real samples of H↓, is also presented. Some of the interesting results are:(1) the potentially long surface longitudinal relaxation time (T 1) in samples with most of the available surface area oriented perpendicular to the direction of the stabilizing field; (2) the possibility of extracting the condensate fractionn o(T)/n from aT 1 measurement in the Bose condensed state, and finally (3) an amusingGedanken experiment that would allow us to detect the onset of Bose condensation in aT 1 measurement in the absence of recombination.