Illustrative embodiments are directed to applying a nuclear magnetic resonance sequence to a substance within an inhomogeneous static magnetic field. Various embodiments include applying a series of refocusing pulses to the substance, each refocusing pulse in the series of refocusing pulses having at least two segments, and a total pulse duration less than or equal to approximately 1.414 times T180. Various embodiments can further include applying an excitation pulse to the substance in the inhomogeneous static magnetic field, where the excitation pulse generates an initial magnetization that is aligned with a refocusing axis produced by a refocusing cycle that is performed after the excitation pulse.