Maximizing RF Signal in the Presence of Rapid T2 Relaxation

Michael Carl¹, Mark Bydder², Atsushi Takahashi¹, Eric Han¹, Graeme Bydder²

When using UTE methods to image short or ultra short T2 species, such as ligaments, tendons or cortical bone, the intrinsic T2 can be on the same order as , and the signal decay during the RF pulse may no longer be ignored. In this work we derive a generalized Ernst angle equation to select a nominal flip angle (for a given maximum B1) that maximizes signal amplitude for these circumstances. In addition, we derive an analytic expression for an effective TE for short T2 species.