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Medical Definition of Spin-lattice relaxation
1. In nuclear magnetic resonance, the return of the magnetic dipoles of the hydrogen nuclei (magnetization vector) to equilibrium parallel to the magnetic field, after they have been flipped 90°; varies in rate in different tissues, taking up to 15 seconds for water. See: TI. Synonym: spin-lattice relaxation, spin-spin relaxation. (05 Mar 2000)