Abstract: A magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system for use in a medical procedure employs an open main magnet allowing access to a portion of a patient within an imaging volume, for producing a main magnetic field over the imaging volume; a set of open gradient coils which provide magnetic fields gradients over the imaging volume without restricting access to the imaging volume; a radiofrequency coil set for transmitting RF energy into the imaging volume to nutate nuclear spins within the imaging volume and receive an MR response signal from the nuclear spins; and a pointing device for indicating the position and orientation of a plane in which an image is to be acquired; an image control means for operating power supplies for the gradient coils and the RF coils to acquire an MR signal from the desired imaging plane; and a computation unit for constructing an image of the desired imaging plane.

Abstract: In an isotope-separation process, using polyatomic molecules having a complicated absorption spectrum such that the isotope shifts are masked, a plurality of laser pulses are used to irradiate a gaseous mixture of molecules including a compound of a desired isotope so as to raise the molecules thereof to higher vibrational energy levels which are substantially unpopulated thermally. The laser pulses have slightly different wavelengths corresponding to respective specific rotational lines of specific vibrational level transitions of molecules containing the desired isotope.