Published May 2005 | Version v1
Journal article

Polarized 3He gas compression system using metastability-exchange optical pumping

  • 1. Department of Physics, Hamilton College, 198 College Hill Road, Clinton, New York 13323 (United States)
  • 2. National Institute for Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8461, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8461 (United States)
  • 3. Department of Physics, Indiana University Cyclotron Facility, 2401 Milo B. Sampson Lane, Bloomington, Indiana 47408 (United States)

Description

Dense samples (10-100 bar cm) of nuclear spin polarized 3He are utilized in high energy physics, neutron scattering, atomic physics, and magnetic resonance imaging. Metastability exchange optical pumping can rapidly produce high 3He polarizations (≅80%) at low pressures (few mbar). We describe a polarized 3He gas compressor system which accepts 0.26 bar l h-1 of 3He gas polarized to 70% by a 4 W neodymium doped lanthanum magnesium hexaluminate (Nd:LMA) laser and compresses it into a 5 bar cm target with final polarization of 55%. The spin relaxation rates of the system's components have been measured using nuclear magnetic resonance and a model of the 3He polarization loss based on the measured relaxation rates and the gas flow is in agreement with a 3He polarization measurement using neutron transmission

Additional details

Identifiers

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Review of Scientific Instruments
Journal Volume
76
Journal Issue
5
Journal Page Range
p. 053503-053503.12
ISSN
0034-6748
CODEN
RSINAK

Optional Information

Notes
(c) 2005 American Institute of Physics