title: HP-Xe to go: Storage and transportation of hyperpolarized (129)Xenon.
abstract: Recently the spin-lattice relaxation time T1 of hyperpolarized (HP)-(129)Xe was significantly improved by using uncoated and Rb-free storage vessels of GE180 glass. For these cells, a simple procedure was established to obtain reproducible wall relaxation times of about 18 h. Then the limiting relaxation mechanism in pure Xe is due to the coupling between the nuclear spins and the angular momentum of the Xe-Xe van-der-Waals-molecules. This mechanism can be significantly reduced by using different buffer gases of which CO2 was discovered to be the most efficient so far. From these values, it was estimated that for a 1:1 mixture of HP-Xe with CO2 a longitudinal relaxation time of about 7 h can be expected, sufficient to transport HP-Xe from a production to a remote application site. This prediction was verified for such a mixture at a total pressure of about 1 bar in a 10 cm glass cell showing a storage time of T1≈9 h (for T1(wall)=(34±9) h) which was transported inside a magnetic box over a distance of about 200 km by car.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Repetto
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Allmendinger
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany. Electronic address: bluemler@uni-mainz.de.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Blümler
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doll
authors.affiliation: Van Swinderen Institute, University of Groningen, Zernikelaan 25, 9747 AA Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Grasdijk
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Heil
authors.affiliation: Van Swinderen Institute, University of Groningen, Zernikelaan 25, 9747 AA Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jungmann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karpuk
authors.affiliation: Peter Grünberg Institut (PGI-8), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: H-J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.affiliation: Peter Grünberg Institut (PGI-8), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Offenhäusser
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sobolev
authors.affiliation: Van Swinderen Institute, University of Groningen, Zernikelaan 25, 9747 AA Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Willmann
keywords: (129)Xe; Break-up rate; Buffer gases; Destruction rate; Laser polarization; Longitudinal; Relaxation; Spin–lattice; Transport boxes; Van der Waals; Wall