IMAGING OF LASER-POLARIZED SOLID XENON

The enhanced spin polarization produced by optical pumping of gaseous rubidium/xenon samples has made possible a number of recent experiment s in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and magnetic resona nce imaging (MRI). Here we report MRI of laser-polarized xenon in the solid phase at low temperature. Due to the high xenon density in the s olid phase and the enhanced spin polarization, it is possible to achie ve high intensity and spatial resolution of the image. Signals were ob served from xenon films solidified onto the glass container walls and not from an enclosed chili pepper. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.