ROTA-MARY, A NOVEL WAY OF MEASURING ANISOTROPIC MAGNETIC-FIELD EFFECTS ON REACTION YIELD

A new method of measuring anisotropic magnetic field effects is introd uced. Instead of analyzing the ellipticity of the initially unpolarize d light passing through the sample using a photoelastic modulator and an analyzer, the magnetic field is rotated with respect to the directi on of linear polarization of the probing light, using two perpendicula r pairs of coils. We label this technique Rota-MARY. Rota-MARY was fou nd to result in a higher sensitivity with respect to the earlier metho d for optically measuring anisotropic magnetic field effects, whereas the set-up is simpler, and the interpretation of data more straightfor ward. Rota-MARY is eminently suited for recording linear-dichroic magn eto-optical absorbance difference spectra. For small magnetic fields, a field-dependence of the LD-MODS spectrum was found, which was averag ed out in the older method.