Spin coherence in phosphorescent triplet states

The electron spin echo is studied on the dephasing mechanism in the photo-excited triplet state of quinoline in a durene host. First, a comparative investigation of the merits of the different spin echo techniques is presented. It turns out that the rotary echo generally yields a longer phase memory time than the two-pulse echo, whereas in the Carr-Purcell experiment, the dephasing can even be largely suppressed. Secondly, it is shown that the dephasing mechanism is determined by the nuclear spins of the guest molecules as well as those in the host material. A theoretical basis for interpreting the effect of vibronic relaxation on the decay rate of the rotary echo, as observed in parabenzoquinone, is given. Similar experiments in aniline reveal also that in this molecule, two close-lying triplet states exist, which is attributed to an inversion vibration analogous to the well-known example in ammonia