In: Physics
why would someone be curious about Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)? and how is it related to modern physics?
Nuclear magnetic resonance has lately become a significant tool in medical science where exposure of the patient to a strong uniform magnetic field causes detailed images of his internal structure of organs, tissues, blood vessels etc.
MRI is the machine that creates the field that excites water molecules in the body parts which radiate electromagnetic waves. The effect of these waves on interaction with the tissues gets demonstrated as images.
The protons of water molecule get aligned along the direction of the field and the MRI disrupts it by a producing a weak field . This causes protons to realign gradually. As a result a low energy photon of the frequency of radio waves. Thus, depending on the thickness of tissues, images are produced of tissues where water molecules are present.
Hence, the application and importance of NMR and MRI is a can be well seen as the application of modern physics