M. S. Rosen

3He lung imaging in an open access, very-low-field human magnetic resonance imaging system

The human lung and its functions are extremely sensitive to gravity; however, the conventional high‐field magnets used for most laser‐polarized 3He MRI of the human lung restrict subjects to lying horizontally. Imaging of human lungs using inhaled laser‐polarized 3He gas is demonstrated in an open‐access very‐low‐magnetic‐field (<5 mT) MRI instrument. This prototype device employs a simple, low‐cost electromagnet, with an open geometry that allows variation of the orientation of the imaging subject in a two‐dimensional plane. As a demonstration, two‐dimensional lung images were acquired with 4‐mm in‐plane resolution from a subject in two orientations: lying supine and sitting in a vertical position with one arm raised. Experience with this prototype device will guide optimization of a second‐generation very‐low‐field imager to enable studies of human pulmonary physiology as a function of subject orientation. Magn Reson Med 53:745–749, 2005.

An Open-Access, Very-Low-Field MRI System for Posture-Dependent 3He Human Lung Imaging

We describe the design and operation of an open-access, very-low-field, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system for in vivo hyperpolarized 3He imaging of the human lungs. This system permits the study of lung function in both horizontal and upright postures, a capability with important implications in pulmonary physiology and clinical medicine, including asthma and obesity. The imager uses a bi-planar B(0) coil design that produces an optimized 65 G (6.5 mT) magnetic field for 3He MRI at 210 kHz. Three sets of bi-planar coils produce the x, y, and z magnetic field gradients while providing a 79-cm inter-coil gap for the imaging subject. We use solenoidal Q-spoiled RF coils for operation at low frequencies, and are able to exploit insignificant sample loading to allow for pre-tuning/matching schemes and for accurate pre-calibration of flip angles. We obtain sufficient SNR to acquire 2D 3He images with up to 2.8mm resolution, and present initial 2D and 3D 3He images of human lungs in both supine and upright orientations. 1H MRI can also be performed for diagnostic and calibration reasons.

Simultaneous measurement of rock permeability and effective porosity using laser-polarized noble gas NMR

We report simultaneous measurements of the permeability and effective porosity of oil-reservoir rock cores using one-dimensional NMR imaging of the penetrating flow of laser-polarized xenon gas. The permeability result agrees well with industry standard techniques, whereas effective porosity is not easily determined by other methods. This NMR technique may have applications to the characterization of fluid flow in a wide variety of porous and granular media.

Applications of controlled-flow laser-polarized xenon gas to porous and granular media study

We report initial NMR studies of continuous flow laser-polarized xenon gas, both in unrestricted tubing, and in a model porous media. The study uses Pulsed Gradient Spin Echo-based techniques in the gas-phase, with the aim of obtaining more sophisticated information than just translational self-diffusion coefficients. Pulsed Gradient Echo studies of continuous flow laser-polarized xenon gas in unrestricted tubing indicate clear diffraction minima resulting from a wide distribution of velocities in the flow field. The maximum velocity experienced in the flow can be calculated from this minimum, and is seen to agree with the information from the complete velocity spectrum, or motion propagator, as well as previously published images. The susceptibility of gas flows to parameters such as gas mixture content, and hence viscosity, are observed in experiments aimed at identifying clear structural features from echo attenuation plots of gas flow in porous media. Gas-phase NMR scattering, or position correlation flow-diffraction, previously clearly seen in the echo attenuation data from laser-polarized xenon flowing through a 2 mm glass bead pack is not so clear in experiments using a different gas mixture. A propagator analysis shows most gas in the sample remains close to static, while a small portion moves through a presumably near-unimpeded path at high velocities.

Interstitial gas and density segregation of vertically vibrated granular media

We report experimental studies of the effect of interstitial gas on mass-density segregation in a vertically vibrated mixture of equal-sized bronze and glass spheres. Sufficiently strong vibration in the presence of interstitial gas induces vertical segregation into sharply separated bronze and glass layers. We find that the segregated steady state (i.e., bronze or glass layer on top) is a sensitive function of gas pressure and viscosity, as well as vibration frequency and amplitude. In particular, we identify distinct regimes of behavior that characterize the change from bronze-on-top to glass-on-top steady state.