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Abstract #2568

Relaxation of Hyperpolarized 129Xe in a Flexible Gas Reservoir

Harald E. Mller1,2, Zackary I. Cleveland2, Laurence W. Hedlund2, Bastiaan Driehuys2

1Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; 2Center for In Vivo Microscopy, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States


In experiments involving repeated deliveries of hyperpolarized (HP) gas, the delivered magnetization is not constant due to unavoidable relaxation during HP gas storage. Moreover, the spin-lattice relaxation time, T1R, inside flexible plastic bags, which often serve as HP gas reservoirs, is not constant. The change of T1R of HP 129Xe in a deflating bag can be quantitatively described by a model based on simple spherical geometry and the kinetic theory of gases to account for relaxation mechanisms in the bulk gas and on the container walls. Results might be used for optimizing signal utilization and improving the point-spread function.