Magnetic resonance studies of impurity-helium solids containing hydrogen and deuterium impurities

Abstract

Impurity-Helium Solids (Im-He) produced by injecting a mixed beam of helium and impurity gases into superfluid 4He have been investigated by electron spin resonance (ESR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. NMR signals from deuterium molecules in a D2-He solid have been studied. Only samples prepared from gaseous mixtures containing high concentrations of D2 molecules gave observable signals. The ESR experiments were performed on H and/or D atomic impurities in Im-He solids containing H, D, H2, and D2 in various combinations. The exchange tunneling reactions D+H2→HD+H and D+HD→D2+H were used to generate high concentrations of H atoms (∼1017/cm3) in Im-He samples.