A three-component model for magnetization transfer. Solution by projection-operator technique, and application to cartilage.

A projection-operator technique is applied to a general three-component model for magnetization transfer, extending our previous two-component model [R.S. Adler and H.N. Yeung, J. Magn. Reson. A 104, 321 (1993), and H.N. Yeung, R. S. Adler, and S.D. Swanson, J. Magn. Reson. A 106, 37 (1994)]. The PO technique provides an elegant means of deriving a simple, effective rate equation in which there is natural separation of relaxation and source terms and allows incorporation of Redfield-Provotorov theory without any additional assumptions or restrictive conditions. The PO technique is extended to incorporate more general, multicomponent models. The three-component model is used to fit experimental data from samples of human hyaline cartilage and fibrocartilage. The fits of the three-component model are compared to the fits of the two-component model.