Chemistry

Research Group: Magnetic Resonance

Magnetic resonance is a phenomenon that occurs when materials are placed in a strong magnetic field and exposed to radiowaves. It is often encountered in the medical context, where it is known as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Currently Active: Yes

Magnetic resonance is the most widely applicable form of spectroscopy with applications ranging from materials science to clinical medicine. We employ quantum theory, numerical simulations, magnetic resonance experiments and chemical insights to design new magnetic resonance techniques, which are applied to problems in chemistry, biology, physics, and medicine. We have many local and international collaborations, including groups in Cambridge, Nottingham, Warwick, St Andrews, Copenhagen, Tallinn, New York, Philadelphia and Kyoto.

Our interests are:

  • development of magnetic resonance methodology, especially at low temperatures
  • the magnetic resonance of solid materials, including superconductors
  • determination of biomolecular structures by magnetic resonance, especially in the solid state
  • development of new methods for enhancing magnetic resonance signals; development of new agents and methods for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Web links

Selected publications associated with this group from the University of Southampton's electronic library (e-prints):


Key Publications

Pileio, Giuseppe, Carravetta, Marina and Levitt, Malcolm H. (2009) Extremely low-frequency spectroscopy in low-field nuclear magnetic resonance. Physical Review Letters, 103, (8), 083002-[4pp]. (doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.083002)
Pileio, Giuseppe, Carravetta, Marina, Hughes, Eric and Levitt, Malcolm H. (2008) The long-lived nuclear singlet state of 15N-nitrous oxide in solution. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 130, (38), 12582. (doi:10.1021/ja803601d)
Levitt, M.H. (2008) Symmetry in the design of NMR multiple-pulse sequences. Journal of Chemical Physics, 128, (5)(doi:10.1063/1.2831927)
Brouwer, Darren H., Darton, Richard J., Morris, Russell E. and Levitt, Malcolm H. (2005) A solid-state NMR method for solution of zeolite crystal structures. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 127, (29), 10365-10370. (doi:10.1021/ja052306h)
Carravetta, Marina and Levitt, Malcolm H. (2004) Long lived nuclear spin states in high-field solution NMR. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 126, (20), 6228-6229. (doi:10.1021/ja0490931)
Carravetta, M., Murata, Y., Murata, M., Heinmaa, I., Stern, R., Tontcheva, A., Samoson, A., Rubin, Y., Komatsu, K. and Levitt, M. H. (2004) Solid-state NMR spectroscopy of molecular hydrogen trapped inside an open-cage fullerene. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 126, (13), 4092-4093. (doi:10.1021/ja031536y)

Members of staff associated with this group: