Laser-induced splittings in the nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the rare gases

Abstract

Circularly polarized laser field causes a shift in the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of all substances. The shift is proportional to the intensity of the laser beam and yields oppositely signed values for left- and right-circularly polarized light, CPL -/+, respectively. Rapid switching -- in the NMR time scale -- between CPL+ and CPL- gives rise to a splitting of the NMR resonance lines. We present uncorrelated and correlated quadratic response calculations of the splitting per unit of beam intensity in the NMR spectra of $^{21}$Ne, $^{83}$Kr, and $^{129}$Xe. We study both the regions far away from and near to optical resonance and predict off-resonance shifts of the order 0.01, 0.1, and $1\times 10^{-6}$ Hz for $^{21}$Ne, $^{83}$Kr, and $^{129}$Xe, respectively, for a beam intensity of 10 W/cm$^2$. Enhancement by several orders of magnitude is predicted as the beam frequency approaches resonance. Only then can the effect on guest $^{129}$Xe atoms be potentially useful as a probe of the properties of the host material.