  Sizable hyperpolarisation, i.e. an imbalance of the occupation numbers of
nuclear spins in a sample deviating from thermal equilibrium, is needed in
various fields of science. For example, hyperpolarised tracers are utilised in
magnetic resonance imaging in medicine (MRI) and polarised beams and targets
are employed in nuclear physics to study the spin dependence of nuclear forces.
Here we show that the quantum interference of transitions induced by radio-wave
pumping with longitudinal and radial pulses are able to produce large
polarisations at small magnetic fields. This method is easier than established
methods, theoretically understood and experimentally proven for beams of
metastable hydrogen atoms in the keV energy range. It should also work for a
variety of samples at rest. Thus, this technique opens the door for a new
generation of polarised tracers, possibly low-field MRI with better spatial
resolution or the production of polarised fuel to increase the efficiency of
fusion reactors by manipulating the involved cross sections.
