University of California

Other

Government of the United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary of Commerce

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Alexander Pines

John G Clarke

Robert Francis McDermott

Dmitry Budker

Shoujun Xu

Carlos A Meriles

Micah Ledbetter

Andreas Trabesinger

David E Wemmer

Gil Navon

Boyd M Goodson

Louis S Bouchard

Dimitrios Sakellariou

Thomas F Budinger

Ago Samoson

Tanja Pietrass

Toomas Room

Rebecca Taylor

Angelo Bifone

Stephan Appelt

Yi-Qiao Song

Roberto Seydoux

John Kitching

Svenja Knappe

Ashok Ajoy

Megan Spence

Adam Moule

Raffi Nazaryan

Annjoe Wong-Foy

Ricardo E De Souza

Klaus Schlenga

Vasiliki Demas

Rachel W Martin

Andreas H Trabesinger

Jonathan King

Christophoros Christou Vassiliou

Seth Rubin

Igor Mykhaylovych Savukov

Valeriy V Yashchuk

Louis-Serge Bouchard

Elad Harel

Anthony Bielecki

Kurt W Zilm

Thomas Lowery

Birgit Hausmann

Daniel P Weitekamp

Thomas L Lowery

Henrike Heise

David B Zax

Kristina Song Liu

Claudia Avalos

Anna Parker

Alexis Morabe

Emanuel Druga

Xudong Lv

Song-I Han

Jeffrey Paulsen

Christian Hilty

Vishal K Shah

David J Michalak

Daniel Topgaard

Jeffrey A Reimer

John Franck

Andreas Heinz Trabesinger

Nathan Kelso

SeungKyun Lee

Michael Moessle

Whittier Myers

Bernard Ten Haken

Charles W Crawford

Sunil Saxena

Juliette A Seeley

Kimberly L Pierce

Josef Granwehr

John Clarke

Robert Mcdermott

A method of hyperpolarizing diamond particles includes applying a laser to a sample of the diamond particles, irradiating the diamond particles with a sweeping microwave to cause diamond polarization, shuttling the diamond particles through a magnetic field to detectC nuclei in the diamond particles, and relaying the diamond polarization to nuclear spins to one of a surrounding solid or fluid.

Orientation independent, room temperature, hyperpolarization of diamond nano- and micro-particles

A system can include: a superconducting or permanent magnet; a high field portion corresponding to the superconducting or permanent magnet, wherein the high field has a range of 0.1-20 T; a low field portion positioned outside of the superconducting or permanent magnet, wherein the low field has a range of 0.01 nT-100 mT; a shuttling mechanism configured to deliver a sample between the low field portion and the high field portion; and a polarization sub-assembly configured to hyperpolarize the sample while the sample is within the low field portion. A device can be configured to cause nuclear spin hyperpolarization in diamond particles such that the hyperpolarization is transferable to at least one of an external liquid or an external solid. A process of hyperpolarizing substances can include applying optical illumination to the substance, irradiating the substance with a series of microwave signals as one of either a single signal or as a frequency comb to hyperpolarize the nuclei in the substance, and relaying polarization to nuclear spins of one of a surrounding solid or fluid.

Wide dynamic range magnetic field cycler and ultra portable optical nanodiamond hyperpolarizer

Polarizable diamond materials and methods for obtaining nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of samples external to the diamond materials are described. The diamond materials can includeC,C, substitutional nitrogen, and nitrogen vacancy defects in a crystalline lattice, wherein the substitutional nitrogen concentration is between 10 ppm and 200 ppm, the nitrogen vacancy concentration is between 10 ppb and 10 ppm, and theC concentration is greater than 1.1% and not more than 25%. Methods for obtaining nuclear magnetic resonance spectra can include optically pumping a diamond material to generate electron spin hyperpolarization in nitrogen vacancy centers, transferring the electron spin hyperpolarization to nuclei of the sample, and generating a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum by applying a magnetic field to the sample, exciting the sample with a radio frequency pulse, and detecting a nuclear magnetic resonance response from the sample.

Specialized diamond materials for NMR applications

An embodiment of a method of detecting a J-coupling includes providing a polarized analyte adjacent to a vapor cell of an atomic magnetometer; and measuring one or more J-coupling parameters using the atomic magnetometer. According to an embodiment, measuring the one or more J-coupling parameters includes detecting a magnetic field created by the polarized analyte as the magnetic field evolves under a J-coupling interaction.

Detection of J-coupling using atomic magnetometer

A system and method for Fourier encoding a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal is disclosed. A static magnetic field Bis provided along a first direction. An NMR signal from the sample is Fourier encoded by applying a rotating-frame gradient field Bsuperimposed on the B, where the Bcomprises a vector component rotating in a plane perpendicular to the first direction at an angular frequency &#x3c9; in a laboratory frame. The Fourier-encoded NMR signal is detected.

Rotating-frame gradient fields for magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear magnetic resonance in low fields

A method for locally creating effectively homogeneous or 'clean' magnetic field gradients (of high uniformity) for imaging (with NMR, MRI, or spectroscopic MRI) both in in-situ and ex-situ systems with high degrees of inhomogeneous field strength. The method of imaging comprises: a) providing a functional approximation of an inhomogeneous static magnetic field strength B({right arrow over (r)}) at a spatial position {right arrow over (r)}; b) providing a temporal functional approximation of {right arrow over (G)}(t) with i basis functions and j variables for each basis function, resulting in vvariables; c) providing a measured value &#x3a9;, which is an temporally accumulated dephasing due to the inhomogeneities of B({right arrow over (r)}); and d) minimizing a difference in the local dephasing angle &#x3c6;({right arrow over (r)},t)=&#x3b3;&#x222b;&#x221a;{square root over (|{right arrow over (B)}({right arrow over (r)},t')|+({right arrow over (r)}&#xb7;{right arrow over (G)}G(t&#x2032;)+&#x2225;{right arrow over (B)}({right arrow over (r)})&#x2225;&#x394;&#x3c9;({right arrow over (r)},t&#x2032;)/&#x3b3;))}dt&#x2032;&#x2212;&#x3a9; by varying the vvariables to form a set of minimized vvariables. The method requires calibration of the static fields prior to minimization, but may thereafter be implemented without such calibration, may be used in open or closed systems, and potentially portable systems.

NMR, MRI, and spectroscopic MRI in inhomogeneous fields

System and methods for designing and using single-sided magnet assemblies for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are disclosed. The single-sided magnet assemblies can include an array of permanent magnets disposed at selected positions. At least one of the permanent magnets can be configured to rotate about an axis of rotation in the range of at least +/&#x2212;10 degrees and can include a magnetization having a vector component perpendicular to the axis of rotation. The single-sided magnet assemblies can further include a magnet frame that is configured to hold the permanent magnets in place while allowing the at least one of the permanent magnets to rotate about the axis of rotation.

Adjustable permanent magnet assembly for NMR and MRI

A novel approach to magnetic resonance imaging is disclosed. Blood flowing through a living system is prepolarized, and then encoded. The polarization can be achieved using permanent or superconducting magnets. The polarization may be carried out upstream of the region to be encoded or at the place of encoding. In the case of an MRI of a brain, polarization of flowing blood can be effected by placing a magnet over a section of the body such as the heart upstream of the head. Alternatively, polarization and encoding can be effected at the same location. Detection occurs at a remote location, using a separate detection device such as an optical atomic magnetometer, or an inductive Faraday coil. The detector may be placed on the surface of the skin next to a blood vessel such as a jugular vein carrying blood away from the encoded region.

Magnetic resonance imaging of living systems by remote detection

A method and apparatus are described wherein a micro sample of a fluidic material may be assayed without sample contamination using NMR techniques, in combination with magnetoresistive sensors. The fluidic material to be assayed is first subject to pre-polarization, in one embodiment, by passage through a magnetic field. The magnetization of the fluidic material is then subject to an encoding process, in one embodiment an rf-induced inversion by passage through an adiabatic fast-passage module. Thereafter, the changes in magnetization are detected by a pair of solid-state magnetoresistive sensors arranged in gradiometer mode. Miniaturization is afforded by the close spacing of the various modules.

Detection of magnetic resonance signals using a magnetoresistive sensor

An integral microfluidic device includes an alkali vapor cell and microfluidic channel, which can be used to detect magnetism for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Small magnetic fields in the vicinity of the vapor cell can be measured by optically polarizing and probing the spin precession in the small magnetic field. This can then be used to detect the magnetic field of in encoded analyte in the adjacent microfluidic channel. The magnetism in the microfluidic channel can be modulated by applying an appropriate series of radio or audio frequency pulses upstream from the microfluidic chip (the remote detection modality) to yield a sensitive means of detecting NMR and MRI.

Integrated microchip incorporating atomic magnetometer and microfluidic channel for NMR and MRI

A method and system of magnetic resonance imaging does not need a large homogenous field to truncate a gradient field. Spatial information is encoded into the spin magnetization by allowing the magnetization to evolve in a non-truncated gradient field and inducing a set of 180 degree rotations prior to signal acquisition.

Low field magnetic resonance imaging

A laser-based atomic magnetometer (LBAM) apparatus measures magnetic fields, comprising: a plurality of polarization detector cells to detect magnetic fields; a laser source optically coupled to the polarization detector cells; and a signal detector that measures the laser source after being coupled to the polarization detector cells, which may be alkali cells. A single polarization cell may be used for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) by prepolarizing the nuclear spins of an analyte, encoding spectroscopic and/or spatial information, and detecting NMR signals from the analyte with a laser-based atomic magnetometer to form NMR spectra and/or magnetic resonance images (MRI). There is no need of a magnetic field or cryogenics in the detection step, as it is detected through the LBAM.

Atomic magnetic gradiometer for room temperature high sensitivity magnetic field detection

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals are detected in microtesla fields. Prepolarization in millitesla fields is followed by detection with an untuned dc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. Because the sensitivity of the SQUID is frequency independent, both signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spectral resolution are enhanced by detecting the NMR signal in extremely low magnetic fields, where the NMR lines become very narrow even for grossly inhomogeneous measurement fields. MRI in ultralow magnetic field is based on the NMR at ultralow fields. Gradient magnetic fields are applied, and images are constructed from the detected NMR signals.

Squid detected NMR and MRI at ultralow fields

Methods and systems for compensating for static magnetic field inhomogeneities during nuclear magnetic resonance detection are disclosed. Application of radio frequency pulses and/or magnetic field gradients may be used to correct for spin dephasing caused by the inhomogeneities. The methods and system may be used to improve signal-to-noise ratios in NMR and MRI systems where magnetic field inhomogeneity may have an effect.

Nuclear magnetic resonance detection in inhomogeneous magnetic fields

The present invention relates generally to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques for both spectroscopy and imaging. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods in which hyperpolarized noble gases (e.g., Xe and He) are used to enhance and improve NMR and MRI. Additionally, the hyperpolarized gas solutions of the invention are useful both in vitro and in vivo to study the dynamics or structure of a system. When used with biological systems, either in vivo or in vitro, it is within the scope of the invention to target the hyperpolarized gas and deliver it to specific regions within the system.

Apparatus for preparing a solution of a hyperpolarized noble gas for NMR and MRI analysis

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Berkeley, CA, United States of America

Alexander Pines