Berkeley Profs Cited for MRI Work

BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 12 -- John Clarke and Alexander Pines, members of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Materials Sciences Div., were named research leaders in the category of general technology for their "innovations in magnetic resonance imaging with weak magnetic fields," in the first annual Scientific American 50 list, honoring individuals and organizations whose accomplishments demonstrate a "clear, progressive view of the technological future." Clarke is a professor of physics and Pines is a professor of chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley.

Clarke and Pines were named for their recent innovations in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in ultralow magnetic fields.

Their technology combines superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) that allow room temperature access, coupled with modern developments in NMR pulse sequences and switched magnetic fields. This opens the possibility for mobile diagnostic scanning devices in materials and biomedicine, without the need for huge superconducting magnets.

Clarke is noted for work in superconductivity, particularly the development and application of ultrasensitive SQUID detectors. Pines has pioneered NMR developments such as novel coherence methodologies, in particular for solid samples, and innovations in combining NMR spectroscopy and imaging, using ultrasensitive pumping with lasers and detection techniques using superconducting devices.

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