CRYOGENIC ACCUMULATOR FOR SPIN-POLARIZED XENON-129

摘要

A method and apparatus for accumulation of hyperpolarized <129>X e is disclosed. The method and apparatus of the invention enable the continuous or episodic accumulation of flowing hyperpolarized <129>Xe in frozen form. The method also permits the accumulation of hyperpolarized <129>Xe. The invention further includes <129>Xe accumulation means (17) which is integrated with <129>Xe hyperpolarization means in a continuous or pulsed flow arrangement. The method and apparatus enable large scale production, storage, and usage of hyperpolarized <129>Xe for numerous purposes, including imaging of human and animal subjects through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques.