Modelling and correcting the impact of RF pulses for continuous monitoring of hyperpolarized NMR

Monitoring the build-up or decay of hyperpolarization in nuclear magnetic resonance requires radio-frequency (RF) pulses to generate observable nuclear magnetization. However, the pulses also lead to a depletion of the polarization and, thus, alter the spin dynamics. To simulate the effects of RF pulses on the polarization build-up and decay, we propose a first-order rate-equation model describing the dynamics of the hyperpolarization process through a single source and a relaxation term. The model offers a direct interpretation of the measured steady-state polarization and build-up time constant. Furthermore, the rate-equation model is used to study three different methods to correct the errors introduced by RF pulses: (i) a $$ correction ($$ denoting the RF pulse flip angle), which is only applicable to decays; (ii) an analytical model introduced previously in the literature; and (iii) an iterative correction approach proposed here. The three correction methods are compared using simulated data for a range of RF flip angles and RF repetition times. The correction methods are also tested on experimental data obtained with dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) using 4-oxo-TEMPO in $$H glassy matrices. It is demonstrated that the analytical and iterative corrections allow us to obtain accurate build-up times and steady-state polarizations (enhancements) for RF flip angles of up to 25$$ during the polarization build-up process within $$ % error when compared to data acquired with small RF flip angles ($$ $$). For polarization decay experiments, corrections are shown to be accurate for RF flip angles of up to 12$$. In conclusion, the proposed iterative correction allows us to compensate for the impact of RF pulses offering an accurate estimation of polarization levels, build-up and decay time constants in hyperpolarization experiments.