Analytical solution for restricted diffusion in circular and spherical layers under inhomogeneous magnetic fields

J Chem Phys. 2008 Apr 7;128(13):134702. doi: 10.1063/1.2841367.

Abstract

We propose an analytical solution for restricted diffusion of spin-bearing particles in circular and spherical layers in inhomogeneous magnetic fields. More precisely, we derive exact and explicit formulas for the matrix representing an applied magnetic field in the Laplacian eigenbasis and governing the magnetization evolution. For thin layers, a significant difference between two geometrical length scales (thickness and overall size) allows for accurate perturbative calculations. In these two-scale geometries, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) as a function of diffusion time exhibits a new region with a reduced but constant value. The emergence of this intermediate diffusion regime, which is analogous to the tortuosity regime in porous media, is explained in terms of the underlying Laplace operator eigenvalues. In general, regions with constant ADCs would be reminiscent of multiscale geometries, and their observation can potentially be used in experiments to detect the length scales by varying diffusion time.