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Michigan State UniversityPHY 431 Optics at MSU

Pulsed Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

About the experiment

Atomic nuclei have spins and magnetic moments, and the nuclei in a liquid sample can be polarized in a high magnetic field. Application of transverse electromagnetic radiation at the Larmor frequency will depolarize the sample, and this frequency can be measured by watching the depolarization signal with a "marginal oscillator". You can measure the proton magnetic moment, and verify for yourself that the spin t/z proton is not a Dirac particle. You can also measure the time constants for depolarization, which depend on the chemical environment, and provide the information used in MRI imaging.

What you will learn

  • Physics principle behind the medical diagnostic procedure known as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
  • Basic techniques to polarize and depolarize an ensemble of nuclear spins
  • Techniques that will help you prepare yourself to perform the Optical Pumping experiment

Preparation

Required reading:

Recommended reading:

Related Experiments:

Supplementary materials

Videos:

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
Part-1 CW NMR [from UC Berkeley]
Part-2 Pulsed NMR [from UC Berkeley]

References and Notes:

Instruments: