Proton polarization in photo-excited aromatic molecule at room temperature enhanced by intense optical source and temperature control

Proton polarization at room temperature, produced in a p-terphenyl crystal by using electron population difference in a photo-excited triplet state of pentacene, was enhanced by utilizing an intense laser with an average power of 1.5 W. It was shown that keeping the sample temperature below 300 K is critically important to prevent the rise of the spin-lattice relaxation rate caused by the laser heating. It is also reported that the magnitude of proton polarization strongly depends on the time structure of the laser pulse such as its width and the time interval between them. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.