Electric field gradient at 12 N implanted into ZnO

Abstract

The nuclear quadrupole interaction of short-lived β-emitter 12 N(I = 1, T 1/2 = 11 ms) implanted into a ZnO single crystal has been studied by means of the β-NMR method. We have observed a quadrupole splitting of 12 N in ZnO at room temperature, from which the electric field gradient (EFG) q = +(8.6 ± 1.1) × 10 19 V/m 2 was deduced assuming axially symmetric EFG with respect to the crystalline c axis. A first principle calculation does not reproduce the data under assumption of the lattice location of 12 N at the oxygen substitutional site.