Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

The United States of America As Represented by the United States

General Electric Company

The United States of America As Represented by the United States Energy

Metriflow, Inc.

Paul R Moran

Jerome B Lasky

Paul Arthur Bottomley

Thomas K Foo

Cecil E Hayes

Gary D Fullerton

Richard E Halbach

David E Fields

Ervin Podgorsak

William H Perman

Gene E Fuller

Ervin B Podgorsak

A uniform surface current density is approximated in an RF transmitting/receiving NMR coil by employing a plurality of discrete conductors having a resonantly distributed current. Inductive and capacitive lines provide a sinusoidal current distribution with various resonant modes providing different magnetic field orientations. The distributed current reduces losses. In a second order resonant mode, decoupling of the surface coil from a transmit coil is achieved without a blocking network.

NMR radio frequecny field coil with distributed current

An NMR blood flowmeter applies a continuous transverse excitation signal and a constant, homogeneous polarizing magnetic field to blood flowing through an active region. The polarizing magnetic field is contoured at opposite boundaries of this active region, and by switching these contours and collecting the resulting NMR signals, data is obtained from which the various components of blood flow may be calculated.

Blood flow imaging using a CW NMR technique

An NMR zeugmatographic scanner is modified to provide motion images, During each measurement cycle the paramagnetic nuclei are subjected to a pair of transverse excitation field pulses which are separated by the application of a bi-polar magnetic field gradient which sensitizes the resulting FID signal to motion. The resulting FID signal is processed using an inverse Fourier transformation to produce images of flowing paramagnetic nuclei.

NMR flow imaging using a composite excitation field and magnetic field

An NMR zeugmatographic scanner is modified to provide flow images. A motion sensitizing, bi-phasic excitation field gradient is applied during each measurement cycle to produce transverse magnetization in paramagnetic nuclei which are moving in the direction of the gradient. The resulting free induction signal is processed using an inverse Fourier transformation to produce images of flowing paramagnetic nuclei.

NMR flow imaging using bi-phasic excitation field gradients

An NMR zeugmatographic scanner is modified to produce flow images. A motion sensitizing gradient field is applied to the gyromagnetic nuclei after transverse excitation and prior to emission measurement. The motion sensitized free induction signal which results is processed using an inverse Fourier transformation to produce a number of useful images.

NMR scanner with motion zeugmatography

A thermoluminescent phosphor comprising LiF doped with boron and magnesium is produced by diffusion of boron into a conventional LiF phosphor doped with magnesium. Where the boron dopant is made to penetrate only the outer layer of the phosphor, it can be used to detect shallowly penetrating radiation such as tritium beta ays in the presence of a background of more penetrating radiation.

Method of preparing a thermoluminescent phosphor

A thermoluminescent phosphor comprising LiF doped with boron and magnesium is produced by diffusion of boron into a conventional LiF phosphor doped with magnesium. Where the boron dopant is made to penetrate only the outer layer of the phosphor, it can be used to detect shallowly penetrating radiation such as tritium beta rays in the presence of a background of more penetrating radiation.

Thermoluminescent phosphor

A dosimetry technique for high-energy gamma radiation or X-radiation employs the Compton effect in conjunction with radiation-induced thermally activated depolarization phenomena. A dielectric material is disposed between two electrodes which are electrically short circuited to produce a dosimeter which is then exposed to the gamma or X radiation. The gamma or X-radiation impinging on the dosimeter interacts with the dielectric material directly or with the metal composing the electrode to produce Compton electrons which are emitted preferentially in the direction in which the radiation was traveling. A portion of these electrons becomes trapped in the dielectric material, consequently inducing a stable electrical polarization in the dielectric material. Subsequent heating of the exposed dosimeter to the point of onset of ionic conductivity with the electrodes still shorted through an ammeter causes the dielectric material to depolarize, and the depolarization signal so emitted can be measured and is proportional to the dose of radiation received by the dosimeter.

Compton effect thermally activated depolarization dosimeter

This invention provides a method of measuring exposure to radiation, particularly x-rays, gamma rays and other forms of penetrating radiation. A dielectric body is provided and is equipped with a pair of electrodes on opposite sides thereof. In accordance with one procedure which may be called radiation induced thermally activated depolarization (RITAD), an electrostatic bias polarization is produced in the dielectric body, preferably by heating it to an elevated temperature, impressing a voltage between the electrodes to produce internal polarization in the body, and cooling the body while maintaining the voltage, so as to freeze in the bias polarization. The voltage is then removed, and the electrodes may be short circuited. The body is then exposed to the radiation to be measured. After such exposure, a current measuring circuit is established between the electrodes. The electrical currents in such circuit are observed and measured as the energy level of the body is raised, preferably by heating the body. One or more current peaks related to the radiation are observed at temperatures where no current is observed in the absence of the exposure to radiation. The magnitude of such current peaks is a measure of the total radiation dosage. Such observed current peaks are indicative of radiation induced thermally activated depolarization in the dielectric body. Many different dielectric materials may be employed, such as calcium fluoride, strontium fluoride, lithium fluoride and various ceramic materials such as magnesium oxide and beryllium oxide. In a modified procedure, which may be called radiation induced thermally activated polarization (RITAP), the dielectric body is not given an initial bias polarization, but rather is exposed to radiation without any such initial polarization. After such exposure, the electrodes on the dielectric body are connected into a series circuit which includes a current measuring instrument and a battery or some other source of a uni-directional voltage. The electrical current in such circuit is then observed and measured as the energy level of the dielectric body is raised, preferably by heating the body. If the dielectric body has been exposed to radiation, a polarization current peak is observed at a characteristic temperature. The magnitude of the peak is a measure of the total radiation dosage. The voltage source may then be removed from the circuit so that the current measuring instrument is connected directly across the electrodes. The dielectric body is then heated to a higher temperature. At one or more characteristic temperatures, one or more depolarization current peaks are observed. The direction of the depolarization currents is opposite from the direction of the polarization current. The magnitude of the depolarization current peaks is also a measure of the total radiation dosage.

Radiation dosimetry by measurement of polarization and depolarization

The present invention provides a method for tritium dosimetry. A dosimeter comprising a thin film of a material having relatively sensitive RITAC-RITAP dosimetry properties is exposed to radiation from tritium, and after the dosimeter has been removed from the source of the radiation, the low energy electron dose deposited in the thin film is determined by radiation-induced, thermally-activated polarization dosimetry techniques.

Thin film tritium dosimetry

A dosimeter having a dielectric material such as sapphire wherein the efficiency as measured by mean drift distance and trapping efficiency is increased by making use of a dielectric material in which the total active impurity does not exceed 50 ppm and in which any one active impurity does not exceed 10 ppm.

Growing community of inventors

Madison, WI, United States of America

Paul R Moran