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    Larmor Precession: Spinning Top Analogy

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    Saurav Paul
    When placed in a magnetic field, charged particles and atomic nuclei will precess around the field at a characteristic frequency called the Larmor frequency. The Larmor frequency is dependent on the magnetic field strength and is specific to each nucleus. This precession is analogous to a spinning top, with the nucleus spinning about its own axis while precessing around the external magnetic field. During an NMR experiment, the Larmor frequency is measured and provides information about the nucleus and magnetic field it experiences.

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    Larmor Precession: Spinning Top Analogy

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    Saurav Paul
    53 views2 pages
    When placed in a magnetic field, charged particles and atomic nuclei will precess around the field at a characteristic frequency called the Larmor frequency. The Larmor frequency is dependent on the magnetic field strength and is specific to each nucleus. This precession is analogous to a spinning top, with the nucleus spinning about its own axis while precessing around the external magnetic field. During an NMR experiment, the Larmor frequency is measured and provides information about the nucleus and magnetic field it experiences.

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    When placed in a magnetic field, charged particles and atomic nuclei will precess around the field at a characteristic frequency called the Larmor frequency. The Larmor frequency is dependent on the magnetic field strength and is specific to each nucleus. This precession is analogous to a spinning top, with the nucleus spinning about its own axis while precessing around the external magnetic field. During an NMR experiment, the Larmor frequency is measured and provides information about the nucleus and magnetic field it experiences.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    53 views2 pages

    Larmor Precession: Spinning Top Analogy

    Uploaded by

    Saurav Paul
    When placed in a magnetic field, charged particles and atomic nuclei will precess around the field at a characteristic frequency called the Larmor frequency. The Larmor frequency is dependent on the magnetic field strength and is specific to each nucleus. This precession is analogous to a spinning top, with the nucleus spinning about its own axis while precessing around the external magnetic field. During an NMR experiment, the Larmor frequency is measured and provides information about the nucleus and magnetic field it experiences.

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    Larmor Precession

    When placed in a magnetic field, charged particles will precess about the magnetic field. In NMR, the charged nucleus,
    will then exhibit precessional motion at a characterisitc frequency known as the Larmor Frequency. The Larmor fequency
    is specific to each nucleus. The Larmor fequency is measured during the NMR experiment, as it is dependent on the
    magnetic field that the nucleus experineces.

    Spinning Top Analogy


    Often it is difficult in NMR to understand the microscopic processes that are occurring. However, precession is easily
    observed on the macroscopic scale, as toy tops. When a top is spun, it rotates about a central axis (Figure 1). The angular
    momentum of the top (L) is aligned along this central axis. If the top is set at an angle, the central axis will move in a
    circle. The top now spinning along its own central axis precesses around in a circle around earths gravitational field.

    Figure 1: This diagram explains the precession of a top. The torque created by the force of gravity applied at the center of
    gravity and the reactive force applied where the top touches the table causes the top to precess. Image used wtih
    permision from Wikipedia (Credit: Xavier Snelgrove).
    Atomic nuclei contain intrinsic spin. The nucleus, like a top, will spin along an axis, which is the direction of the angular
    momentum for the nucleus. The spin of the nucleus can be related to the magnetic moment of the nucleus through the
    relation

    μ = γI (1)

    where
    μ is the magnetic moment and
    γ is a proportionality constant known as the gyromagnetic moment.
    This constant may be positive of negative, depending on if the nucelus precesses clockwise or counterclockwise,
    respectively. The nuclear magnetic moment will couple to the external magnetic field, which produces a torque on the
    nucleus and causes the precession around the magnetic field. This is analgous to the macroscopic tops in that the
    gravitational force couples with the mass of the top. In the absence of friction, the top would precess forever! The
    frequency of precession is known as the Larmor frequency, ν where 0

    ν0 = γ B0 (2)

    The effect is illustrated below:

    Ensemble Effects
    4/11/2020 1 https://chem.libretexts.org/link?1822
    The net magnetization for a sample is the sum of the individual magnetic moments in the sample

    M = ∑ μi (3)

    we have already defined the magnetic moment for a nucleus with spin I. The magnetization can then be written as
    M = γJ (4)

    where J is the net spin angular momentum.


    The torque, T, of the sample will then be
    dJ
    T = (5)
    dt

    Subsituting M for J we obtain


    T = M xB (6)

    and finally
    dM
    = γM xB (7)
    dt

    then
    dM
    = γM Bsinθ (8)
    dt

    since M and B are parallel the sin term drops out. We want to know the rate at whcih the magnetization is changing with
    respect to time so we take the second derivative and the result is the Larmor frequency
    ω0 = γB (9)

    since M and B are both vector quantities, the cross product with B in only the Z direction i.e. (B=(0, 0, B0)) then we
    obtain the Larmor frequency
    ω0 = γ B0 (10)

    References
    1. Duer, M.J., Solid State NMR Spectroscopy: Principles and Applications. Blackwell Science Ltd. USA. 2002
    2. Fukushima, E., Roeder, S.B.W., Experimental Pulse NMR A Nuts and Bolts Approach. Perseus Books Publishing,
    USA. 1981

    Contributors
    Derrick Kaseman (UC Davis)

    4/11/2020 2 https://chem.libretexts.org/link?1822

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