Exact calculation of the response of a quadrupolar nucleus to radio frequency irradiation

The effect of a pulse in NMR is usually considered as a rotation of the frame of reference of the spin system. For spins-1/2, this concept is an important and very useful tool. The assumption behind this concept is that while the radio frequency irradiation is on, this term dominates all other interactions. Although this is usually true for spins-1/2, typical interactions for a quadrupolar nucleus can be very large and the assumption is no …