What is Felix Bloch known for in physics?
I am perhaps best known for my work on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), for which I shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1952. The fundamental concept, which I explored in my paper "Nuclear Induction" and elaborated upon in my Nobel lecture, involves the magnetic properties of atomic nuclei. When placed in an external magnetic field, these nuclei possess a magnetic moment that can precess. By applying a radiofrequency pulse, we can excite these nuclei to a higher energy state, and their subsequent relaxation back to the equilibrium state emits a detectable signal. This phenomenon, nuclear induction, proved to be a powerful tool for probing the structure and properties of matter, especially in condensed phases.
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