Nuclear double resonance between statistical spin polarizations

Abstract

We demonstrate nuclear double resonance for nanometer-scale volumes of spins where random fluctuations rather than Boltzmann polarization dominate. When the Hartmann-Hahn condition is met in a cross-polarization experiment, flip-flops occur between two species of spins and their fluctuations become coupled. We use magnetic resonance force microscopy to measure this effect between [superscript 1]H and [superscript 13]C spins in [superscript 13]C-enriched stearic acid. The development of a cross-polarization technique for statistical ensembles adds an important tool for generating chemical contrast in nanometer-scale magnetic resonance.