Transverse NMR relaxation as a probe of mesoscopic structure

Phys Rev Lett. 2002 Dec 30;89(27):278101. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.278101. Epub 2002 Dec 20.

Abstract

Transverse NMR relaxation in a macroscopic sample is shown to be extremely sensitive to the structure of mesoscopic magnetic susceptibility variations. Such a sensitivity is proposed as a novel kind of contrast in the NMR measurements. For suspensions of arbitrary-shaped paramagnetic objects, the transverse relaxation is found in the case of a small dephasing effect of an individual object. Strong relaxation rate dependence on the objects' shape agrees with experiments on whole blood. Demonstrated structure sensitivity is a generic effect that arises in NMR relaxation in porous media, biological systems, as well as in kinetics of diffusion limited reactions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Diffusion
  • Erythrocytes / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Models, Theoretical*
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular / methods*