Low Field Online NMR for Hyperpolarized Rare Gases: Setup and Characterization

Wolfgang Kilian¹, Sergey Korchak¹, Lorenz Mitschang¹, Bastiaan Driehuys²

For the production of hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe gas a low-field online NMR helps to find and control the optimum parameters for the spin exchange optical pumping process. We developed a system comprising just three hardware components: first, a small hand-wound transmit-receive surface coil; second, a home-made circuitry; and, third, a commercial multi I/O card controlled by a PC. We will describe the circuit and show measurements to calibrate the effective flip angle for both, thermally polarized ¹H in water and hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe gas. Also analytical calculations were performed to validate the measured ¹²⁹Xe signal strength.