Spin-lattice relaxation in liquid entrapped in a nanocavity

Abstract

We consider the spin lattice relaxation in bulk liquid and liquid entrapped in a nanocavity. The kinetic equation which describes the spin lattice relaxation is obtained by using the theory of the nonequilibrium state operator. A solution of the kinetic equation gives the quadrature expression for the relaxation time, T1. The calculated relaxation time agrees well with the experimental data.The spin-lattice relaxation time is calculated for nanocavities with a characteristic size much less than 700 nm, with the assumption that the spin-lattice relaxation mechanism is determined by nanocavity fluctuations. The resulting expression shows an explicit dependence of the relaxation time T1 on the volume, density of nuclear spins, and parameters of the cavity (shape and orientation relatively to the applied field). To compare with the experiment on the detection of the anisotropy of the relaxation time, we average the expression that describes the relaxation time over the orientation of the nanocavities relative to the applied magnetic field. The good agreement with the experimental data for fibril tissues was achieved by adjustment of few fitting parameters - the standard deviation, averaged fiber direction, and weight factors - which characterize the ordering of fibrils.