Tutors and Tutorials

There are number of exceptional examples indicating the unique position of tetrahedral symmetry in the vast landscape of different spatial organization pathways which can be sampled by matter. Very often the tetrahedral angle remains an intrinsic feature of the system or emerges spontaneously due to interactions. Quite remarkably, the same angle reappears in fundamental spin interactions i.e. the dipolar coupling between a pair of polarized spins (magnetic moments) vanishes when the inter-spin vector is tilted one half of the tetrahedral angle with respect to the polarization field direction. This specific condition is known as the magic angle in the NMR community and the effect is directly related to the inherent symmetry of a magnetic field generated by an isolated magnetic moment. Developed conceptually in the 1950s [1, 2] Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) has become a routine technique in solid state NMR spectroscopy. This unique concept, together with the exceptional progress made in the field of NMR probe engineering, has made possible the acquisition of high resolution spectra for a rigid phase samples. General idea regarding spin interactions under MAS conditions can be demanding to comprehend due to an experimentally introduced time evolution of the spin system and its anisotropic character of interactions. In order to thoroughly understand the concept of a MAS experiment it is vital to first describe the structure of coupling tensors and their subsequent orientational evolution during NMR experiments.













[1] Andrew ER, Bradbury A, Eades RG. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectra from a Crystal rotated at High Speed. Nature 1958;182:1659-1659.
[2] Lowe IJ. Free Induction Decays of Rotating Solids. Physical Review Letters 1959;2:285-287.

The tutorial aims to introduce the basics of the NMR phenomena and procedures in the MRI lab. Classes will be divided into two parts. In the first part, some basic information about NMR and MRI will be provided, and in the next step will be shown the preparation of an MRI research scanner, ie. tuning coil, and magnetic field shimming. Moreover, 1D NMR experiments will be carried out.
The second part will show the basic experiments using Fourier imaging methods with the introduction of the spin echo imaging technique. The building of k-space during MRI experiments will be shown, to highlight the significance of Fourier transform in Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Finally, the images for the object with a well-defined structure will be obtained with spin echo and gradient echo techniques.
The tutorial will be carried out with the use of ICT technology and remote access to an MRI scanner at NanoBioMedical Centre in Poznan.