Ultra-low-field NMR relaxation and diffusion measurements using an optical magnetometer.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry and diffusometry are important tools for the characterization of heterogeneous materials and porous media, with applications including medical imaging, food characterization and oil-well logging. These methods can be extremely effective in applications where high-resolution NMR is either unnecessary, impractical, or both, as is the case in the emerging field of portable chemical characterization. Here, we present a proof-of-concept experiment demonstrating the use of high-sensitivity optical magnetometers as detectors for ultra-low-field NMR relaxation and diffusion measurements.

Parahydrogen-induced polarization at zero magnetic field.

We use symmetry arguments and simple model systems to describe the conversion of the singlet state of parahydrogen into an oscillating sample magnetization at zero magnetic field. During an initial period of free evolution governed by the scalar-coupling Hamiltonian HJ, the singlet state is converted into scalar spin order involving spins throughout the molecule. A short dc pulse along the z axis rotates the transverse spin components of nuclear species I and S through different angles, converting a portion of the scalar order into vector order. The development of vector order can be described analytically by means of single-transition operators, and it is found to be maximal when the transverse components of I are rotated by an angle of ±π∕2 relative to those of S. A period of free evolution follows the pulse, during which the vector order evolves as a set of oscillating coherences. The imaginary parts of the coherences represent spin order that is not directly detectable, while the real parts can be identified with oscillations in the z component of the molecular spin dipole. The dipole oscillations are due to a periodic exchange between Iz and Sz, which have different gyromagnetic ratios. The frequency components of the resulting spectrum are imaginary, since the pulse cannot directly induce magnetization in the sample; it is only during the evolution under HJ that the vector order present at the end of the pulse evolves into detectable magnetization.

Multiplets at zero magnetic field: the geometry of zero-field NMR.

For liquid samples at Earth's field or below, nuclear-spin motion within scalar-coupled networks yields multiplets as a spectroscopic signature. In weak fields, the structure of the multiplets depends on the magnitude of the Zeeman interaction relative to the scalar couplings; in Earth's field, for example, heteronuclear couplings are truncated by fast precession at distinct Larmor frequencies. At zero field, weak scalar couplings are truncated by the relatively fast evolution associated with strong scalar couplings, and the truncated interactions can be described geometrically. When the spin system contains a strongly coupled subsystem A, an average over the fast evolution occurring within the subsystem projects each strongly coupled spin onto FA, the summed angular momentum of the spins in A. Weakly coupled spins effectively interact with FA, and the coupling constants for the truncated interactions are found by evaluating projections. We provide a formal description of zero-field spin systems with truncated scalar couplings while also emphasizing visualization based on a geometric model. The theoretical results are in good agreement with experimental spectra that exhibit second-order shifts and splittings.

Fundamental aspects of parahydrogen enhanced low-field nuclear magnetic resonance.

We report new phenomena in low-field 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy using parahydrogen induced polarization (PHIP), enabling determination of chemical shift differences, δν, and the scalar coupling constant J. NMR experiments performed with thermal polarization in millitesla magnetic fields do not allow the determination of scalar coupling constants for homonuclear coupled spins in the inverse weak coupling regime (δν

High-resolution zero-field NMR J-spectroscopy of aromatic compounds.

We report the acquisition and interpretation of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) J-spectra at zero magnetic field for a series of benzene derivatives, demonstrating the analytical capabilities of zero-field NMR. The zeroth-order spectral patterns do not overlap, which allows for straightforward determination of the spin interactions of substituent functional groups. Higher-order effects cause additional line splittings, revealing additional molecular information. We demonstrate resonance linewidths as narrow as 11 mHz, permitting resolution of minute frequency differences and precise determination of long-range J-couplings. The measurement of J-couplings with the high precision offered by zero-field NMR may allow further refinements in the determination of molecular structure and conformation.

Zero-field NMR enhanced by parahydrogen in reversible exchange.

We have recently demonstrated that sensitive and chemically specific NMR spectra can be recorded in the absence of a magnetic field using hydrogenative parahydrogen induced polarization (PHIP) (1-3) and detection with an optical atomic magnetometer. Here, we show that non-hydrogenative parahydrogen-induced polarization (4-6) (NH-PHIP) can also dramatically enhance the sensitivity of zero-field NMR. We demonstrate the detection of pyridine, at concentrations as low as 6 mM in a sample volume of 250 µL, with sufficient sensitivity to resolve all identifying spectral features, as supported by numerical simulations. Because the NH-PHIP mechanism is nonreactive, operates in situ, and eliminates the need for a prepolarizing magnet, its combination with optical atomic magnetometry will greatly broaden the analytical capabilities of zero-field and low-field NMR.

Relaxivity of gadolinium complexes detected by atomic magnetometry.

Laser atomic magnetometry is a portable and low-cost yet highly sensitive method for low magnetic field detection. In this work, the atomic magnetometer was used in a remote-detection geometry to measure the relaxivity of aqueous gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid Gd(DTPA) at the Earth's magnetic field (40 µT). The measured relaxivity of 9.7±2.0 s(-1) mM(-1) is consistent with field-cycling experiments measured at slightly higher magnetic fields, but no cryogens or strong and homogeneous magnetic field were required for this experiment. The field-independent sensitivity of 80 fT Hz(-1/2) allowed an in vitro detection limit of ∼10 µM Gd(DTPA) to be measured in aqueous buffer solution. The low detection limit and enhanced relaxivity of Gd-containing complexes at Earth's field motivate continued development of atomic magnetometry toward medical applications.