Miniature NMR Spectrometers Without Magnets

Miniature, lightweight nuclear-magnetic-resonance (NMR) spectrometers suitable for characterizing ferromagnetic minerals in the field are undergoing development. In previously developed miniature NMR spectrometers, more than half the weight is contributed by permanent magnets. The present developmental miniature NMR spectrometers can be made much lighter because they do not contain permanent magnets: Unlike other NMR spectrometers, they are designed to operate without applied magnetic fields; instead, they exploit the natural magnetic fields of the mineral phases to be studied.