By means of optical pumping with laser light it is possible to enhance the nuclear spin polarization of gaseous xenon by four to five orders of magnitude. The enhanced polarization has allowed advances in nuclear mag- netic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including polarization transfer to molecules and imaging of lungs and other void spaces. A critical issue for such applications is the delivery of xenon to the sample while maintaining the polarization.
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