A fast method for the measurement of long spin-lattice relaxation times by Single Scan Inversion Recovery experiment

TL;DR

This paper introduces a rapid single-scan method for measuring long spin-lattice relaxation times ($T_1$) using slice selection, significantly reducing measurement time compared to traditional techniques.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel single-scan inversion recovery method (SSIR) that leverages slice selection to efficiently measure long $T_1$ times, improving speed and accuracy.

Findings

Method is at least ten times faster than conventional techniques.

Experimental verification confirms the method's accuracy.

Improved IR measurement by focusing on a central slice.

Abstract

A new method of measuring long spin-lattice relaxation times ($T_1$) is proposed. Being a single scan technique, the method is at least one order of magnitude faster than the conventional technique. This method (Single-Scan or Slice Selected Inversion Recovery or SSIR) relies on the slice selection technique. The method is experimentally verified and compared with the time taken by the conventional measurement. Furthermore, it is shown that the conventional Inversion Recovery (IR) method which suffers from effects of r.f. inhomogeneity can also be improved by measuring the magnetization of only a central slice.