Patent ID: 7279897
Filing Date: 2007-10-09
Classification: G01N,G01R

Abstract:
1. A method for detecting the presence of nuclear quadrupole resonance signals in a sample by scanning the sample with a band of frequencies ΔF using a nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system comprising an array of n high temperature superconductor sensors, wherein n≧2 and the bandwidth of each sensor is Δf, the method comprising the steps of: a) determining r different frequencies that span the band of frequencies ΔF when using sensors with bandwidths Δf, wherein r is of the order of ΔF/Δf; b) tuning the resonance frequency of each of the n sensors to a different one of the r frequencies, and maintaining the resonance frequencies of the n sensors for a selected period of time; c) retuning the resonance frequency of some or all of the n sensors to any of the r different frequencies that were not used in any previous step by any sensor, wherein the n sensors have n different resonance frequencies, and maintaining the resonance frequencies of the n sensors for a selected period of time; and d) repeating step (c) until all the r different frequencies have been used as resonance frequencies whereby every one of the r frequencies is used to scan the sample for the presence of nuclear quadrupole resonance signals provided that no one frequency is used on two different sensors.