Cross-polarization efficiency in INS systems using adiabatic RF sweeps

The theory describing nuclear magnetic resonance cross-polarization using adiabatic sweeps of the rf spin-lock fields through the Hartmann-Hahn matching condition is extended to small homonuclear coupled systems of the type INS. In particular, the connection is made between such experiments and the associated theoretical limits on polarization transfer-the ''unitary bounds'' - demonstrating that these techniques can achieve the maximum transfer of polarization from the I spins to the S spins, subject to the constraint of angular momentum conservation imposed by spin-locking, Factors such as permutation symmetry of the spins, imperfect adiabaticity of individual crossings and fast sample spinning are shown to have no fundamental impact on the validity on these results. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.