Electron Spin Resonance using DPPH and study of Magnetic resonance

Shashwat Ankur Maharana

(Dated: September 7, 2025)
The experiment’s objective is to use Zavoisky’s method to calculate Lande’s g-factor. In a magnetic field of a
few gauss, a paramagnetic sample and Helmholtz coils are used at radio frequencies. We identify the four peaks
using an oscilloscope in XY mode. We also used a straightforward tabletop experiment to investigate magnetic
field resonance. We discovered a resonance point in our experiment where the needle deflected the most. A
graph that we plotted demonstrated that the magnetic field and resonance frequency have a linear connection.

INTRODUCTION Magnetic resonance is a basic physical phenomenon that

happens when a magnetic system is driven at its natural
Electron Spin Resonance (ESR), also known as Electron precession frequency. It is the foundation of powerful exper-
Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), is a spectroscopic method imental methods like nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR),
for studying materials with unpaired electrons. It is based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and electron spin res-
the concept of electrons having spin and magnetic moments, onance (ESR). In all these cases, resonance occurs when a
which cause them to act like small magnets. Zavoisky magnetic dipole placed in a static magnetic field is subjected
discovered ESR in 1945, and it has since become an essential to an oscillating field that matches its characteristic frequency,
tool in solid-state physics, chemistry, and materials science. It leading to increased oscillations or energy absorption.
is used to characterize paramagnetic ions in crystals, defects
in semiconductors, organic free radicals, color centers in While these methods typically require advanced equip-
insulators, and to study magnetic materials. ment, the same concept can be shown using a simple compass
needle. A compass acts as a magnetic dipole, aligning with
The basic principle of ESR comes from the interaction be- an external magnetic field. When it is placed in the static
tween the intrinsic magnetic moment of an electron and an ex- field of a permanent magnet and exposed to an oscillating
ternal magnetic field. In a uniform field H0 , the electron mag- field from a coil, the needle experiences forced oscillations.
netic moment undergoes Larmor precession with an angular At a specific frequency, known as the resonance frequency,
frequency of ω0 = gµB H0 /ℏ, where g is the Landé g-factor the amplitude of oscillations increases significantly. This
and µB is the Bohr magneton. When an additional oscillat- provides a tangible example of quantum magnetic resonance,
ing magnetic field is applied perpendicular to H0 , transitions allowing for the study of the key features of the phenomenon
between spin states can occur if the oscillating frequency ν in a basic setup.
matches the resonance condition:
The objective of this experiment is to measure the reso-
nance frequency of the compass needle as the magnetic field
hν = gµB H0 . strength changes and to test the hypothesis that the resonance
frequency scales with the square root of the static field. This
experiment thus serves as both an introduction to magnetic
By measuring the resonance frequency for a specific mag-
resonance and a practical exercise in error analysis when mea-
netic field, one can determine the g-factor, which gives in-
suring resonance phenomena.
sights into the electronic environment of the unpaired spins.
In this experiment, the organic radical diphenylpicrylhy-
drazyl (DPPH) is used as the sample. DPPH is commonly
THEORY
used as a standard in ESR measurements because it has a
stable unpaired electron with a well-known g-factor close to
2.00. The sample is placed inside the field of Helmholtz coils A uniform field density Ho is applied to a particle with a
and exposed to a radio frequency oscillating field generated by magnetic moment µ. The moment µ will then precess with
an ESR spectrometer. Resonance is detected as a change in the an angular Larmor frequency around h0 . Laude’s g-factor is
absorption of microwave power, which is measured through denoted by the letter g.
variations in the coil current and displayed on an oscilloscope.
The goal of this study is to measure the resonance fields at e
different excitation frequencies and use these measurements ω0 = g( )H0 (1)
2mc
to find the spectroscopic splitting factor g. Comparing the
experimental value of g with the theoretical expectation for a If the particle is exposed to a tiny, ν1 alternating magnetic
free electron tests the ESR technique and explores the role of field that is perpendicular to the static magnetic field’s
the local environment of the paramagnetic center. direction. Sub-level transitions will then occur in accordance
with selection rules, resulting in a difference between the
 2

energy levels of ∆E= hν1 . At resonance, This formula demonstrates that resonance happens when
the driving frequency and the needle’s inherent frequency co-
incide. The resonance state is reached at this point, when the
∆E = gµB H0 = hν1 (2) oscillation amplitude noticeably increases.
The distance d between the permanent magnet and the com-
In the laboratory experiment, the resonance condition is
pass determines how strong the static field is. Treating the
observed by varying the static magnetic field using a pair
magnet as a dipole of moment mPM , the field is
of Helmholtz coils while keeping the RF frequency fixed.
The resonance point corresponds to the maximum absorption
of RF energy, which can be detected as a dip in the signal µ0 2mPM
BPM = .
amplitude. 4π d3
Thus, the resonance frequency is predicted to vary with dis-
Therefore, the experiment offers a way to assess the Lande’
tance as
g-factor, a crucial characteristic describing how a particle’s
spin interacts with a magnetic field. When the resonance
frequency is reached, energy is absorbed from the radio-
r
1 µ0 mPM m
frequency field due to the Spin-Lattice interaction. It is con- fres = .
2π 2π d3 J
nected to the Boltzmann distribution’s population of distinct
energy levels. In the radio-frequency range, the likelihood of Hence, the experiment should demonstrate that the res-
a spontaneous transition occurring is extremely low. onance frequency increases with magnetic field strength
From equation 2, we get the expression for the g factor and decreases with increasing distance from the permanent
magnet. In this experiment, we keep the frequency of the coil
fixed, and move the permanent magnet and change the field
hν1
g= (3) experienced by the compass.
H0 µB

where h = 6.625 ∗ 10−27 and µB = 0.927 ∗ 10−20

CALCULATIONS AND ERROR ANALYSIS
8µ0 n
H=√ I (4)
125a A. For Electron Spin Resonance
and √
H0 = 2 2H

B. By viewing the compass needle as a magnetic dipole

with moment m ⃗ that undergoes a torque when exposed to a
magnetic field, one can comprehend the concept of magnetic
resonance. Two sources produce the field in this experiment:
⃗ drive and a permanent
a coil-generated tiny alternating field B
⃗
magnet that provides a static field BPM . The torque on the
compass needle is

FIG. 1: Frequency: 15.14MHz

T⃗ = m ⃗ PM + B
⃗ × (B ⃗ drive ).

The resulting motion of the needle can be described in

terms of its angular displacement θ. For small oscillations,
the equation of motion takes the form of a driven harmonic
oscillator,

θ̈ + ω02 θ = ω 2 ,
q
where ω0 = mBJPM is the natural frequency of oscillation
of the needle in the static magneticqfield, J is the moment
of inertia of the needle, and ω = mBdrive
represents the FIG. 2: Frequency: 12.66 MHz
J
driving frequency of the coil field.
 3

g3 = 2.179.
g1 +g2 +g3
g(average) = 3 = 2.744

Standard deviation of the mean= 0.008

B. For the Study of Magnetic Resonance

The formula for the magnetic field is given below,

FIG. 3: Frequency: 16.27MHz

µ0 2mPM
B= .
The detailed table of observations is attached as handwrit- 4π d3
ten.
By error propagation,
In this experiment, Both the propagation error and the
statistical error shall be determined, assuming the systematic ∆B ∆d
error to be negligible, since the readings were very close to =3 ,
B d
the theoretical value of 2.
The resonance frequency is related to the magnetic field by
1. Propagation error: √
From theory, we know this formula, fres ∝ B.

Therefore, the relative error in frequency due to the uncer-

hν1
g= H0 µB tainty in B is

In this case, the frequency and magnetic field error ∆f ∆B ∆d

1 3
causes are separate and arbitrary. Thus, the following = 2 = 2 .
f B d
formula will be applied. In this case, the frequency and
magnetic field error causes are separate and arbitrary.
Thus, the following formula will be applied. The total uncertainty in frequency was taken as a quadrature
sum of the instrumental/random error and the propagation er-
r ror from distance measurement:
∆g ∆ν1 2 ∆H0 2
= ( ) +( ) (5) s
g ν1 H0  2
3 ∆d
∆ftotal = (∆frandom )2 + 2 f .
The uncertainty of g for the three different frequencies: d

ν1 = 15.14 MHz, ν2 = 12.66 MHz, and ν3 = 16.27

MHz
RESULTS

Uncertainties of frequency and magnetic field are • From the propagation error,
assumed to be 1 MHz and 0.1 gauss, respectively. For ν1 = 15.14 MHz, g = 2.733 ± 0.18
For ν2 = 12.66MHz, g = 2.7499 ± 0.216
From the calculation, ∆g for corresponding to For ν3 = 16.27 MHz, g = 2.7499 ± 0.217
three frequencies comes out to be 0.18, 0.216, 0.217,
respectively.
• From Random error,
we get,
g = 2.744 ± 0.0085
2. Random error:

The average value for each g corresponding to each Final answer = 2.744 ± 0.217
frequency comes out to be g1 = 2.153, g2 = 2.177,
 4

between 2 and 3. The average result showed slight deviation

from the theoretical value g = 2.003 for the electron, for un-
certainties obtained from error propagation. Thus, the exper-
imental determination of g validated the quantum mechanical
prediction for the electron’s magnetic moment.
In the second experiment, a permanent magnet’s magnetic
field and a coil-driven alternating field were applied to a
compass needle. The resonance frequency was ascertained
by adjusting the effective magnetic field by changing the dis-
tance between the permanent magnet and the compass. The
driven harmonic oscillator model and the measured resonance
√
frequencies both exhibited the anticipated scaling f ∝ B.
FIG. 4: Plot of resonance frequency vs Magnetic field deter- The findings demonstrated resonance in a straightforward
mined by varying the distance of the permanent magnet tabletop system and validated the theoretical dependence.

All things considered, these tests collectively illustrated the

DISCUSSION fundamental concept of magnetic resonance.

The calculated g-factor at different frequencies show

deviations in the accepted literature value of 2.003 for free SOURCES OF ERROR
electrons. These deviations highlight the sensitivity of ESR
measurements to setup precision and external disturbances, • Misalignment of the Helmholtz coils may lead to in-
while still validating the underlying resonance condition. homogeneous magnetic fields and shift the resonance
condition.
Quadrature for the uncertainties of g in case of propagation
error was used as the errors are independent, and stated • Fluctuations in the mains supply and electrical noise
the final answer above. The final uncertainty has been the can distort the CRO peaks and affect the accuracy of
propagation error. Q and P measurements.

Determining the magnetic field and measuring the reso- • Finite resolution of the oscilloscope and least count er-
nance frequency are the primary sources of uncertainty in the rors while measuring 2Q and P divisions introduce un-
magnetic resonance experiment. The generator’s frequency certainties in the calculation of H0 and the g-factor.
resolution and the subjective assessment of resonance, which
adds a random error ∆f , restrict the process of determining • Heating of coils at higher currents can slightly alter the
the resonant frequency. effective magnetic field strength.

The final error bars plotted in the graph correspond to this • External magnetic disturbances and imperfect shielding
combined uncertainty. may contribute to deviations in resonance peak posi-
tions.
CONCLUSION

Two experiments were performed to study magnetic reso-

nance phenomena.
In the first experiment, the Landé g-factor was determined [1] J. R. Taylor, An Introduction to Error Analysis: The Study of Un-
from the resonance condition certainties in Phys ical Measurements, 2nd ed. (University Sci-
ence Books, Sausalito, 1997)
hf [2] J. E. Wertz and J. R. Bolton, Electron Spin Resonance: Ele-
g= . mentary Theory and Practical Applications (McGraw-Hill, New
µB B
York, 1972).
Measurements at three different frequencies yielded g values [3] Scipy Documentation: [Link]