In spectroscopy, it is conventional to treat pulses much stronger than the linewidth as deltafunctions. In NMR, this assumption leads to the prediction that π pulses do not refocus the dipolar coupling. However, NMR spin echo measurements in dipolar solids defy these conventional expectations when more than one π pulse is used. Observed effects include a long tail in the CPMG echo train for short delays between π pulses, an even-odd asymmetry in the echo amplitudes for long delays, an unusual fingerprint pattern for intermediate delays, and a strong sensitivity to π-pulse phase. Experiments that set limits on possible extrinsic causes for the phenomena are reported. We find that the action of the system's internal Hamiltonian during any real pulse is sufficient to cause the effects. Exact numerical calculations, combined with average Hamiltonian theory, identify novel terms that are sensitive to parameters such as pulse phase, dipolar coupling, and system size. Visualization of the entire density matrix shows a unique flow of quantum coherence from non-observable to observable channels when applying repeated π pulses.

NMR spin echo measurements of 13C in C60, 89Y in Y2O3, and 29Si in silicon are shown to defy conventional expectations when more than one pi pulse is used. Multiple pi-pulse echo trains may either freeze out or accelerate the decay of the signal, depending on the pi-pulse phase. Average Hamiltonian theory, combined with exact quantum calculations, reveals an intrinsic cause for these coherent phenomena: the dipolar coupling has a many-body effect during any real, finite pulse.

The tiny difference between hard pi pulses and their delta-function approximation can be exploited to control coherence. Variants on the magic echo that work despite a large spread in resonance offsets are demonstrated using the zeroth- and first-order average Hamiltonian terms, for 13C NMR in 60C. The 29Si NMR linewidth of silicon has been reduced by a factor of about 70,00 using this approach, which also has potential applications in magnetic resonance microscopy and imaging of solids.

Raman and emission characteristics of a-plane InGaN/GaN blue-green light emitting diodes on r-sapphire substrates

We report the experimental determination of current spill-over in InGaN/GaN blue light emitting diodes by measuring the change in the forward current generated by a resonant excitation. To quantify accurately, the absorption of the laser as a function of the forward current was also determined. Two samples that have clearly different behavior of efficiency droop were compared to clarify the relationship between the current spill-over and the efficiency droop. We conclude that the carrier spill-over does occur and can be a significant cause for the efficiency droop but cannot single-handedly account for the efficiency droop.