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The Journal of Chemical Physics

Rubidium–xenon spin exchange and relaxation rates measured at high pressure and high magnetic field

Charles V. Rice, Daniel Raftery

Published Sep 5, 2002• 23 citations

Abstract

The production of hyperpolarized Xe via spin exchange with optically pumped Rb atoms was studied at 47 000 G under high-pressure conditions. From variable pressure and temperature studies, the spin exchange efficiency was found to be pressure dependent and lower than comparable low-field measurements. Spin exchange due to short binary collisions is expected to be pressure independent, and the cross section was measured to be 〈σν〉SE=6.0 (±0.1)×10−17 cm3 s−1. The pressure dependent component was attributed to the formation of Rb–Xe van der Waals (vdW) complexes. The rate constant for spin exchange in Rb–Xe vdW complexes was measured to be κ=1400 (±100) s−1 in He buffer gas. This value is comparable, though somewhat smaller than vdW rates measured previously for other buffer gases. While it is well known that spin exchange occurs readily in vdW complexes when B0<200 G, vdW spin exchange at fields >10 000 G is not accounted for in current theories. Modulation of the hyperfine interaction during the vdW complex lifetime is proposed to account for these observations. Finally, relaxation by the walls of the pumping cell was found to increase with buffer gas pressure. These factors impact the equilibrium Xe polarization obtainable with high-field optical pumping.

DOI: 10.1063/1.1500733

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We present a design for a spin-exchange optical pumping system to produce large quantities of highly polarized 129Xe. Low xenon concentrations in the flowing gas mixture allow the laser to maintain high Rb polarization. The large spin-exchange rate between Rb and 129Xe through the long-lived van der Waals molecules at low pressure, combined with a high flow rate, results in large production rates of hyperpolarized xenon. We report a maximum polarization of 64% achieved for a 0.3 l/h Xe flow rate, and maximum magnetization output of 6 l/h at 22% polarization. Our findings regarding the polarization dependence on temperature, nitrogen partial pressure, and gas mixture flow velocity are also reported.

We present a design for a spin-exchange optical pumping system to produce large quantities of highly polarized 129Xe and 131Xe. Low xenon concentrations in the flowing gas mixture which allow the laser to maintain high Cs polarization. The large spin-exchange rate between Cs and Xe through the long-lived van der Waals molecules at low pressure, combined with a high flow rate, results in large production rates of hyperpolarized xenon. The fast rates make it possible to obtain large nuclear polarizations after several minutes of optical pumping with a laser.At high Xe pressures. According to the theory, the longitudinal spin-elaxation rate 1T1 of Xe in a high-pressure sample containing only Xe and Cs vapor has the simple form is the velocity averaged binary spin-exchange cross section, It is the relaxation rate due to wall collisions and perhaps magnetic field inhomogeneities. Our results complement earlier studies performed at 129Xe pressures of about 20 Torr and 131Xe pressures of about 20 Torr and N2 pressures of 600 Torr . This work is useful for predicting spin-exchange rates between polarized Cs atoms and Xe nuclei.

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