1H and 129Xe NMR absorption line shapes in the presence of highly polarized and concentrated xenon solutions in high magnetic field

The presence of highly concentrated dissolved laser-polarized xenon (∼1 mol/L, polarization up to 0.2) induces numerous effects on proton and xenon NMR spectra. We show that the proton signal enhancements due to 129Xe-1H cross-relaxation (SPINOE) and overall shifts of the proton resonances due to the average dipolar shift created by the intense xenon magnetization are correlated. Protons behave as very useful sensors of the xenon magnetization. Indeed the xenon resonances exhibit many features such as superimposition of narrow lines on the main resonance due to clustering effects, or such as a polarization-dependent line broadening that is tentatively assigned to the effects of temperature fluctuations that decorrelate some distant dipolar field effects from local interactions, transforming xenon spins from “like” to “unlike” spins. These spectral features make difficult the determination of the average dipolar field by means of the xenon resonance but have interesting consequences on the heteronuclear polarization transfer experiment in Hartmann-Hahn conditions (SPIDER).