Low energy spin polarized radioactive beams as a probe of thin films and interfaces

A spectrometer for β-detected nuclear magnetic resonance (β-NMR) has been commissioned at the ISAC facility at TRIUMF. A beam of low energy highly spin polarized 8Li + can be decelerated and implanted into ultra-thin structures 6–400 nm thick. β-NMR provides local information on the electronic and magnetic properties of materials which is similar to conventional NMR but can be used as a sensitive probe of ultra-thin films, interfaces and other nanostructures. We report here on the status of the spectrometer and preliminary results on a simple metal film.