An optimized polarization transfer pulse designed using a genetic algorithm is presented, which has greater immunity to the effects of B0 and B1 field inhomogeneity and ~2 times lower peak B1 compared to the BINEPT pulse sequence. The optimization provides a simple framework that accounts for finite pulse lengths and relaxation and outputs a shaped pulse on each frequency channel. Performance was tested on a [15N2]urea phantom at thermal equilibrium, where the polarization transferred from protons to 15N was 1.32 times greater than that transferred using BINEPT. Partial transfer of polarization from hyperpolarized 15N to proton was also demonstrated.
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