Nuclear magnetic resonance measurement techniques in non-uniform fields

A method of measuring a longitudinal relaxation time in a sample having an initial magnetization, the method comprising:

• applying a sequence of RF pulses to the sample, the sequence including an encoding portion and a detection portion;
• acquiring an echo signal using the detection portion of the sequence of RF pulses;
• decomposing the echo signal into at least two coherence pathway components;
• and
• analyzing at least one of the two coherence pathway components to determine the longitudinal relaxation time.

A method of measuring diffusion in a sample, the method comprising:

• applying a sequence of RF pulses to the sample, the sequence including an encoding portion and a detection portion;
• acquiring an echo signal using the detection portion of the sequence of RF pulses;
• decomposing the echo signal into at least two coherence pathway components wherein the aspect of decomposing the echo signal results in shifting the at least two coherence pathway components by one of a delay time or by a phase so that the at least two pathway components are separately detected and analyzed, resulting in determination of one of the diffusion or a relaxation time from a single acquisition by analyzing relative amplitudes of the at least two pathway components;
• and
• analyzing the at least two coherence pathway components to determine a diffusion coefficient.

A method of measuring flow in a sample, the method comprising:

• applying a sequence of RF pulses to the sample, the sequence including an encoding portion and a detection portion;
• acquiring an echo signal using the detection portion of the sequence of RF pulses;
• decomposing the echo signal into at least two coherence pathway components;
• and
• analyzing the at least two coherence pathway components to determine a flow velocity so as to provide for measuring flow in the sample.