Study of the properties of hyperpolarized xenon-129 for magnetic resonance imaging

Produkce hyperpolarizovaných plynů, především helia (3He) nebo xenonu (129Xe), nachází stále rostoucí rozsah aplikací v zobrazování magnetickou rezonancí (MRI). Helium ani xenon nejsou obyčejně obsaženy v těle a experimenty tedy nejsou ovlivněny nechtěným signálem z okolních tkání. Ukázalo se, že několika hyperpolarizačními technikami může být magnetická polarizace (magnetizace) jader vzácných plynů zvýšena na hladinu, se kterou jsou praktické aplikace proveditelné. Hyperpolarizované plyny mohou tedy být užitečným nástrojem pro neinvazivní zkoumání lidského dýchání, dovolující statické zobrazování během zadržení dechu nebo zkoumání dynamiky výdechu nebo nádechu, nebo funkčního zobrazování. V neživé přírodě, mohou být hyperpolarizovaný plyny využity jako kontrastní látka při studiu mikroporézních materiálů, jako jsou zeolity, stavební látky a hmoty, atd. V této doktorské práci je popsán vývoj a konstrukce aparatury pro hyperpolarizaci xenonu (izotopu 129Xe). Nákup hyperpolarizovaného xenonu od jiných výzkumných center v zahraničí a jeho dovážení by ovšem nebylo efektivní a to zejména z důvodu náročnosti zajištění potřebných fyzikálních podmínek pro přepravu hyperpolarizovaného plynu. Toto bylo hlavní motivací k vývoji vlastní technologie pro přípravu hyperpolarizovaného xenonu. Se zvládnutou technologií by bylo možné navázat spolupráci s medicínskými zařízeními, nebo s týmy zabývající se živou nebo neživou přírodou (např. při studiu mikroporézních materiálů, gelů, v zemědělských aplikacích nebo při výzkumu využívajících zvířat, atd.). Cílem této práce je studium teorie hyperpolarizovaných vzácných plynů se zaměřením na 129Xe a experimentální ověření a změření relaxačních časů pomocí jaderné magnetické rezonance. Vzhledem k tomu, že je možné hyperpolarizované vzácné plyny skladovat pro pozdější využití, se tato práce také zabývá možnostmi zásobníku hyperpolarizovaného vzácného plynu a jeho teoretickým a experimentálním řešením. V této práci jsou popsány především dva základní typy experimentů přípravy hyperpolarizovaného xenonu. V obou jsou využity zatavené válcové skleněné vzorky naplněné xenonem a doplňujícím plynem – dusíkem, heliem. První z experimentů se zabývá měřením vlastností termálně polarizovaného xenonu a druhý měřením vlastností hyperpolarizovaného xenonu. Pro hyperpolarizaci 129Xe bylo použito výkonového laseru a experimentálně byla zkoumána jednak míra polarizace na základě změny spektrální hustoty čerpacího laserového svazku a dále pak optimální doba optického čerpání 129Xe a relaxační časy xenonu.The production of hyperpolarized gases (HpG), predominantly helium (3He) or xenon (129Xe), have found a steadily increasing range of applications in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Neither helium nor xenon are normally present in the body, thus the magnetic resonance experiments do not suffer from unwanted background signals. It has been demonstrated by several techniques of hyperpolarization that the magnetic polarization (magnetization) of the noble gas nuclei can be increased to levels that make practical application feasible. Hence, hyperpolarized gases may become a useful tool for non-invasive investigation of human lung ventilation, permitting static imaging during breathhold or probing the dynamics of inhalation/exhalation, or functional imaging. In inanimate nature, hyperpolarized gas can be used as a contrast medium for microporous materials, such zeolites, constructive materials in civil engineering, etc. This thesis describes the development and construction of a xenon (129Xe) hyperpolarization (Hp) device. Buying hyperpolarized xenon from other research centres abroad is inefficient mainly because of a need of a fast transport of HpXe under specific conditions. That was the main motivation for developing of our own technology for production of HpXe. Well-handled technology could allow a medical cooperation or cooperation with teams dealing with in/animate nature (microporous material, gels, agriculture, animals, etc.). The aim of this work is to study the hyperpolarized noble gases theory with concern to 129Xe and to experimentally prove and measure xenon relaxation times by the NMR. Since it is possible to store hyperpolarized noble gases for later use, this doctoral thesis also explores the potentials of hyperpolarized noble gas storage system and its theoretical and experimental solution. Mainly two types of experiments are described in the thesis. In both experiments, sealed cylindrical Simax sample filled with xenon and supplement gas – nitrogen, helium were used. The first type of experiment is based on thermally polarized xenon and the second on hyperpolarized xenon. For hyperpolarization of 129Xe a high-power laser was used. In this experiment, the relation between power spectral density of optical pumping beam and efficiency of HpXe production process was investigated. The optimal duration of optical pumping and relaxation times of HpXe were investigated too.

Classical many-particle systems with unique disordered ground states

Classical ground states (global energy-minimizing configurations) of many-particle systems are typically unique crystalline structures, implying zero enumeration entropy of distinct patterns (aside from trivial symmetry operations). By contrast, the few previously known disordered classical ground states of many-particle systems are all high-entropy (highly degenerate) states. Here we show computationally that our recently-proposed "perfect-glass" many-particle model [Sci. Rep., 6, 36963 (2016)] possesses disordered classical ground states with a zero entropy: a highly counterintuitive situation. For all of the system sizes, parameters, and space dimensions that we have numerically investigated, the disordered ground states are unique such that they can always be superposed onto each other or their mirror image. At low energies, the density of states obtained from simulations matches those calculated from the harmonic approximation near a single ground state, further confirming ground-state uniqueness. Our discovery provides singular examples in which entropy and disorder are at odds with one another. The zero-entropy ground states provide a unique perspective on the celebrated Kauzmann-entropy crisis in which the extrapolated entropy of a supercooled liquid drops below that of the crystal. We expect that our disordered unique patterns to be of value in fields beyond glass physics, including applications in cryptography as pseudo-random functions with tunable computational complexity

Noncommutative probability in classical systems

Two examples of the situation when the classical observables should be described by a noncommutative probability space are investigated. Possible experimental approach to find quantum-like correlations for classical disordered systems is discussed. The interpretation of noncommutative probability in experiments with classical systems as a result of context (complex of experimental physical conditions) dependence of probability is considered

Aging and intermittency in a p-spin model of a glass

We numerically analyze the statistics of the heat flow between an aging system and its thermal bath, following a method proposed and tested for a spin-glass model in a recent Letter (P. Sibani and H.J. Jensen, Europhys. Lett.69, 563 (2005)). The present system, which lacks quenched randomness, consists of Ising spins located on a cubic lattice, with each plaquette contributing to the total energy the product of the four spins located at its corners. Similarly to our previous findings, energy leaves the system in rare but large, so called intermittent, bursts which are embedded in reversible and equilibrium-like fluctuations of zero average. The intermittent bursts, or quakes, dissipate the excess energy trapped in the initial state at a rate which falls off with the inverse of the age. This strongly heterogeneous dynamical picture is explained using the idea that quakes are triggered by energy fluctuations of record size, which occur independently within a number of thermalized domains. From the temperature dependence of the width of the reversible heat fluctuations we surmise that these domains have an exponential density of states. Finally, we show that the heat flow consists of a temperature independent term and a term with an Arrhenius temperature dependence. Microscopic dynamical and structural information can thus be extracted from numerical intermittency data. This type of analysis seems now within the reach of time resolved micro-calorimetry techniques.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, europhysics letter style, to appear in Physical Review

Schwinger-Keldysh Approach to Disordered and Interacting Electron Systems: Derivation of Finkelstein's Renormalization Group Equations

We develop a dynamical approach based on the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism to derive a field-theoretic description of disordered and interacting electron systems. We calculate within this formalism the perturbative RG equations for interacting electrons expanded around a diffusive Fermi liquid fixed point, as obtained originally by Finkelstein using replicas. The major simplifying feature of this approach, as compared to Finkelstein's is that instead of $N \to 0$ replicas, we only need to consider N=2 species. We compare the dynamical Schwinger-Keldysh approach and the replica methods, and we present a simple and pedagogical RG procedure to obtain Finkelstein's RG equations.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figure

`The frozen accident' as an evolutionary adaptation: A rate distortion theory perspective on the dynamics and symmetries of genetic coding mechanisms

We survey some interpretations and related issues concerning the frozen hypothesis due to F. Crick and how it can be explained in terms of several natural mechanisms involving error correction codes, spin glasses, symmetry breaking and the characteristic robustness of genetic networks. The approach to most of these questions involves using elements of Shannon's rate distortion theory incorporating a semantic system which is meaningful for the relevant alphabets and vocabulary implemented in transmission of the genetic code. We apply the fundamental homology between information source uncertainty with the free energy density of a thermodynamical system with respect to transcriptional regulators and the communication channels of sequence/structure in proteins. This leads to the suggestion that the frozen accident may have been a type of evolutionary adaptation

Clustering in Hilbert space of a quantum optimization problem

The solution space of many classical optimization problems breaks up into clusters which are extensively distant from one another in the Hamming metric. Here, we show that an analogous quantum clustering phenomenon takes place in the ground state subspace of a certain quantum optimization problem. This involves extending the notion of clustering to Hilbert space, where the classical Hamming distance is not immediately useful. Quantum clusters correspond to macroscopically distinct subspaces of the full quantum ground state space which grow with the system size. We explicitly demonstrate that such clusters arise in the solution space of random quantum satisfiability (3-QSAT) at its satisfiability transition. We estimate both the number of these clusters and their internal entropy. The former are given by the number of hardcore dimer coverings of the core of the interaction graph, while the latter is related to the underconstrained degrees of freedom not touched by the dimers. We additionally provide new numerical evidence suggesting that the 3-QSAT satisfiability transition may coincide with the product satisfiability transition, which would imply the absence of an intermediate entangled satisfiable phase.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

Fluctuations in glassy systems

We summarize a theoretical framework based on global time-reparametrization invariance that explains the origin of dynamic fluctuations in glassy systems. We introduce the main ideas without getting into much technical details. We describe a number of consequences arising from this scenario that can be tested numerically and experimentally distinguishing those that can also be explained by other mechanisms from the ones that we believe, are special to our proposal. We support our claims by presenting some numerical checks performed on the 3d Edwards-Anderson spin-glass. Finally, we discuss up to which extent these ideas apply to super-cooled liquids that have been studied in much more detail up to present.Comment: 33 pages, 7 figs, contribution to JSTAT special issue `Principles of Dynamical Systems' work-shop at Newton Institute, Univ. of Cambridge, U