Double-quantum coherence 2026-11-05
Double-quantum coherence is a component of NMR coherence with coherence order or . Under a common rotation , an order- component transforms as . The term describes a phase response of the spin system.[ref]
For two spin one-half nuclei with , the component has order+2: it connects the state with total projection−1 to that with total projection+1. Its adjoint has order−2. A Hermitian density matrix can contain both components with conjugate coefficients.
An original constructed state makes the difference from populations explicit:
Its density matrix has populations one half in each displayed basis state, plus the off-diagonal terms and its adjoint. A mixture of the two basis states with the same populations lacks those terms. This is an assumed mathematical preparation, rather than a claim about what a single pulse produces in a thermal sample.
Under the Quantum Hamiltonian , the positive-order off-diagonal component acquires phase . A common phase rotation of changes its sign; a rotation of leaves it unchanged. The summed offsets and doubled phase response are consequences of the two projection changes.[ref]
Conventional transverse detection reads appropriate single-quantum coherence. Experiments that select double-quantum coherence must generate it and subsequently convert it into an observable contribution. A phase-selection rule alone does not demonstrate that the necessary transfer occurred.[ref]
Single-quantum coherence 2026-11-05
Single-quantum coherence is a component of NMR coherence with coherence order or . It connects basis states whose total spin projections differ by one unit. Under the convention , an order- component acquires .[ref]
For one spin one-half nucleus, and are the positive- and negative-order components. Transverse magnetization is represented by their combinations,
A Hermitian density matrix contains conjugate off-diagonal entries, so it can encode two real transverse components while containing both coherence-order signs.
An original state example uses
Its eigenvalues are0.8 and0.2 for every , and its populations remain one half. Taking the traces against gives
At , the transverse expectation has moved from to without changing the populations. This is a constructed quantum-state comparison, not a measured thermal polarization.
Conventional transverse NMR detection can access the appropriate single-quantum contribution. The complex receiver signal chooses a phase convention for combining its two measured components. This is why a statement about a detected phase sign should specify its convention, while the operator transformation above remains explicit.[ref]
Multispin single-quantum terms need not be merely isolated-spin magnetization: correlations can accompany the projection change. A coherence order identifies the transformation under a chosen common rotation, rather than uniquely specifying every spin correlation or the pulse sequence that generated it.