Spin-Lattice Relaxation

This mechanism involves energy transfer between the electron spin and lattice phonons mostly via the spin-orbit interaction but also weakly through dipolar interactions. The relaxation rate is of the same form as Equation 2.27 but with $\phi$ now involving the population of phonon modes. This leads to the spin-lattice contribution to relaxation being strongly temperature dependent.

Dr John Bland, 15/03/2003