We have used pulsed gradient spin echo (PGSE) NMR to measure longitudinal d
isplacements of octane molecules undergoing Poiseuille flow in a 150 mu m d
iameter pipe, accessing time scales which approach the Taylor dispersion li
mit. We monitor the change in displacement distribution which occurs as mol
ecules undergoing Brownian motion sample an increasing proportion of the en
semble of streamlines, observing the effects of wall collisions and the gra
dual transition of the propagator from Poiseuille to Taylor-Aris behavior.
The further use of a double PGSE sequence allows the direct measurement of
the stochastic part of the motion alone. [S 1063-651X(99)50310-3].