Automated hyperpolarized 129Xe gas generator for nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging applications

We describe a method and an apparatus for producing hyperpolarized (HP) Xe gas of high concentration without Xe condensation. The HP Xe generator works under atmospheric pressure and employs a quasi-continuous method to provide a continuous supply of HP Xe gas by adopting technologies for supplying a highly pure gas, a gas control system and precise pressure control. The apparatus has a glass cell containing solid Rb metal and solid Xe in vacuum at a low temperature and is heated so that the Xe becomes a gas and Rb exists in a gas-liquid mixture. Then a magnetic field is applied with laser beam irradiation to produce polarized Xe gas of high concentration. The device was evaluated using a 2T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Long-term experimental operation demonstrated the continuous collection of 30 ml syringes of HP Xe gas with a sufficient polarization rate for fast one scan acquisition. A practical device for the automated manufacture of HP 129Xe gas was thus successfully developed.