Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance magnetometry at low temperature with application to antimatter gravity experiments by ALPHA
department or school: Science, Faculty of
department or school: Physics and Astronomy, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Evetts, Nathan
issued: 2021-03-24T23:14:44Z
issued: 2021
related degree: Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: The Einstein Equivalence Principle (EEP) has never been directly examined with an antimatter test body. To address this, ALPHA is planning to measure the Earthâs gravitational ï¬eld using antihydrogen atoms as test masses. The experiment calls for the careful release of antiatoms from a magnetic trap and requires precise characterization of the magnetic ï¬elds that are used. This thesis considers the need for magnetic ï¬eld characterization from the perspective of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) as a magnetic sensing technique. A variety of theories from statistics and condensed matter physics are assembled into a framework for understanding and predicting the performance of solid-state NMR magnetometers. This framework is applied to two types of NMR sensors that were developed for ALPHAâs gravity experiments. Data acquired while commissioning the apparatus provide experimental conï¬rmation of the theoretical precision predicted for each sensor type. A room temperature sensor based on Â¹H NMR in natural rubber exhibits a precision of about 270 nT at 1 T. A cryogenic sensor based on Â²â·Al NMR in microparticulate aluminium displays a precision of about 34 µT at 25 K and 1 T. These NMR data are then used to estimate the experimental constraint that should result from upcoming measurements of the gravitational ï¬eld (g¯) experienced by antihydrogen atoms in the lab. Improvements to the expected constraint on g¯ are sought through advances in state-of-the-art solid-state NMR magnetometry. A broad survey of candidate materials has been conducted in search of NMR samples that promise better precision at low temperature. Yttrium-bismuth is proposed as a sample with the potential to improve sensor precision by a factor of â¼7 over the use of aluminium. Further gains in performance are predicted through the introduction of broadband (or âdelay lineâ) probes. A brief review and assessment of these probes is presented.
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/77622
note: Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic ResonanceMagnetometry at Low Temperaturewith application to antimatter gravity experiments byALPHAbyNathan EvettsB.Sc., The University of British Columbia, 2010M.Sc., The University of British Columbia, 2015A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OFTHE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OFDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHYinThe Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies(Physics)THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA(Vancouver)March 2021c© Nathan Evetts 2021The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to theFaculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the disserta-tion entitled:Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Magnetometry at Low Temperaturewith application to antimatter gravity experiments by ALPHAsubmitted by Nathan Evetts in partial fulfilment of the requirements forthe degree of Doctor of Philosophyin PhysicsExamining Committee:Michael Hayden, Department of Physics, SFUResearch SupervisorCarl Michal, Department of Physics & Astronomy, UBCAcademic Co-SupervisorStefan Reinsberg, Department of Physics & Astronomy, UBCUniversity ExaminerAndrew MacFarlane, Department of Chemistry, UBCUniversity ExaminerWerner Heil, Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg Universität MainzExternal ExaminerAdditional Supervisory Committee Members:Mark Halpern, Department of Physics & Astronomy, UBCSupervisory Committee MemberMarcel Franz, Department of Physics & Astronomy, UBCSupervisory Committee MemberWalter Hardy, Department of Physics & Astronomy, UBCSupervisory Committee MemberiiAbstractThe Einstein Equivalence Principle (EEP) has never been directly exam-ined with an antimatter test body. To address this, ALPHA is planningto measure the Earthâs gravitational field using antihydrogen atoms as testmasses. The experiment calls for the careful release of antiatoms from a mag-netic trap and requires precise characterization of the magnetic fields thatare used. This thesis considers the need for magnetic field characterizationfrom…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2021-05
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0396355
language: eng
degree discipline: Physics
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/77622