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  • Open Access

Local, mm-scale H1 magnetic resonance imaging using atomic vapors

Sven Bodenstedt1, Morgan W. Mitchell2, and Michael C. D. Tayler1,*

  • *Contact author: michael.tayler@icfo.eu
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Phys. Rev. Applied 26, 014095 – Published 29 July, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/6vx4-mjx6

Abstract

We demonstrate a practical and sensitive low-field approach to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of μL-scale samples using an optically pumped magnetometer (OPM). Using a simple setup where a commercial OPM is placed directly adjacent to a sample, without intermediary signal-pickup coils, we perform one- and two-dimensional imaging with a >1  cm field of view and sub-mm Fourier-limited resolution at 10  μT, near Earth’s field. This enables (i) high-throughput, low-field MRI of fluidic and tissue samples, and (ii) a quantitative benchmark of the sensitive volume surrounding the OPM.

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Applied 26, 014095– Published 29 July, 2026
  • Received 10 March 2026
  • Revised 27 May 2026
  • Accepted 15 June 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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