Patent ID: 7279896
Filing Date: 2007-10-09
Classification: G01R,G01V

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 these resonance frequencies for a selected period of time; c) retuning simultaneously the resonance frequency of each of the n sensors to a different one of the r frequencies, and maintaining these retuned resonance frequencies for a selected period of time, wherein each of the n sensors has a retuned resonance frequency that is different from the resonance frequency to which it was tuned or retuned in any previous step and no two sensors are tuned to the same resonance frequency at the same time; and d) repeating step (c) r-2 times wherein the resonance frequency of each sensor is tuned for one period of time to each of the r different frequencies, whereby every sensor utilizes every one of the r frequencies to scan the sample to detect the presence of nuclear quadrupole resonance signals.