On the Theory of Cross Relaxation in Maser Materials

Abstract

A theoretical study of cross relaxation in Maser materials has been carried out based on the moment method. The energy level splittings due to the crystalline electric field and the applied magnetic field are utilized for the computation of the moments of the cross relaxation. If the lattice points are populated at random by paramagnetic ions in highly diluted salts, the second moment is much greater than the overlap integral of the individual ordinary resonance line shapes and to some extent influenced by the orientation of the applied magnetic field. The shape function of the cross relaxation is roughly Gaussian but takes slightly less values in the wings. The cross relaxation in ruby Maser successfully operated at liquid nitrogen temperatures has been briefly discussed.