Barbara L. Beck1,2, Sien Wu3,
Walker J. Turner3, Rizwan Bashirullah3, Thomas H.
Mareci2,4
1McKnight Brain Institute,
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States; 2National
High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL, United States; 3Electrical
& Computer Engineering, University of Florida; 4Biochemistry
& Molecular Biology, University of Florida
MR coil-impedance matching for in vivo animal studies in high field, small diameter, horizontal bore magnets is a time consuming and challenging procedure due to limited space and large frequency shifts from sample loading. We developed a High-Q input circuit attached to an automatic impedance matching system that optimizes, within seconds, the tuning and matching of a single-frequency coil. The procedure can be performed with the animal in the magnet, negating the need for laborious manual tuning, while at the same time, reducing the stress on the animal. Comparison to a coil with discrete components demonstrates equivalent SNR.