Hyperfine interaction in graphene: The relevance for spintronics

We study the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) properties of graphene. The interaction between nuclear spins and the orbital motion of Dirac electrons is strongly modified by the linear electronic dispersion with respect to its canonical form. The NMR shift and spin-lattice relaxation time are calculated as function of temperature, chemical potential, and magnetic field for clean and impure graphene, and three distinct regimes are identified: Fermi-, Dirac-gas, and extreme quantum limit (EQL) behaviors. A critical spectrometer assessment shows that NMR is within reach for fully (13)C enriched graphene of reasonable size. (C) 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim