Monovacancy paramagnetism in neutron-irradiated graphite probed by 13C NMR.

We report on the magnetic properties of monovacancy defects in neutron-irradiated graphite, probed by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The bulk paramagnetism of the defect moments is revealed by the temperature dependence of the NMR frequency shift and spectral linewidth, both of which follow a Curie behavior, in agreement with measurements of the macroscopic magnetization. Compared to pristine graphite, the fluctuating hyperfine fields generated by the defect moments lead to an enhancement of the 13C nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate [Formula: see text] by about two orders of magnitude. With an applied magnetic field of 7.1 T, the temperature dependence of [Formula: see text] below about 10 K can well be described by a thermally activated form, [Formula: see text], yielding a singular Zeeman energy of ([Formula: see text]) meV, in excellent agreement with the sole presence of polarized, non-interacting defect moments.