PHIP Sequences and Dipolar Fields

Abstract

Para-hydrogen induced polarization (PHIP) achieves efficient hyperpolarisation of nuclear spins with the transfer of the singlet order of parahydrogen to target molecules through catalytic hydrogenation reactions and subsequent coherent control of the spin dynamics. However, in realistic conditions B0/B1 inhomogeneities lead to significant reduction in the polarization transfer efficiency. Moreover, in high-concentration samples, dipolar fields arising from the magnetisation of the sample can degrade polarisation transfer efficiency significantly. In this work, we present a theoretical framework and a comprehensive analysis of both pulsed and continuous-wave (CW) control sequences designed to mitigate the detrimental effects of dipolar fields, $B_0/B_1$ inhomogeneities, and moderate chemical shifts. By combining tools from average Hamiltonian theory with detailed numerical simulations, we introduce and characterise a wide range of transfer sequences, including dipolar-field adjusted and dipolar-field suppressing protocols. We identify conditions under which dipolar interactions either hinder or, perhaps surprisingly, stabilise polarization transfer, depending on the sequence structure. Our results offer practical guidance for the selection and design of PHIP transfer sequences under realistic experimental constraints and open pathways toward robust hyperpolarisation in concentrated liquid-state NMR samples.