Long-lived Nuclear Spin Order: Theory and Applications

The idea that a long-lived form of spin order, namely singlet order, can be prepared from nuclear spin magnetisation first emerged in 2004. The unusual properties of singlet order–its long lifetime and the fact that it is NMR silent but interconvertible into other forms of NMR active order—make it a ‘smart tag’ that can be used to store information for a long time or through distant space points. It is not unexpected then, that since its first appearance, this idea has caught the attention ...