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Abstract #3927

Tunable Geometric Decoupling Mechanisms for Phased Array Coils

Sahil P. Bhatia1, Fraser J. Robb2, Yiping Guan2, Mary P. McDougall1

1Magnetic Resonance Systems Lab, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX, United States; 2G.E. Healthcare, Aurora, OH, United States


Effective geometric decoupling between array elements becomes increasingly important when isolation preamplifiers are not available or employable, as is the case for certain field strengths and in the case of transmit array design. We present two methods of tunable geometric decoupling that allow the coil-to-coil decoupling to be adjustable and provide a straightforward mechanism for optimizing the overlap area. Bench measurements demonstrate the ability of both mechanisms to optimize decoupling between adjacent elements under a range of loading conditions, and imaging confirms that the addition of the mechanisms does not alter the field patterns or SNR of the coil elements.