Patents Represented by Attorney Lawrence Berkeley Lab
  • Patent number: 7218104
    Abstract: Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals are detected in microtesla fields. Prepolarization in millitesla fields is followed by detection with an untuned dc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. Because the sensitivity of the SQUID is frequency independent, both signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spectral resolution are enhanced by detecting the NMR signal in extremely low magnetic fields, where the NMR lines become very narrow even for grossly inhomogeneous measurement fields. MRI in ultralow magnetic field is based on the NMR at ultralow fields. Gradient magnetic fields are applied, and images are constructed from the detected NMR signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Inventors: John Clarke, Robert McDermott, Alexander Pines, Andreas Heinz Trabesinger