pTX Array Optimized Composite Pulse for B1+ Inhomogeneity Compensation at 3T

Christopher Sica¹, Sukhoon Oh¹, Christopher Collins¹

An implementation of an array optimized composite pulse (ACP) for parallel transmit applications is presented. The pulse design utilizes two RF pulses, with independently adjustable magnitude and phase per channel and per pulse. A non-selective version of the ACP pulse is compared with RF shimming and a quadrature drive configuration in a water phantom, and with quadrature drive in the human brain at 3T. The ACP pulse offers improved excitation uniformity relative to RF shimming in phantoms, and significant improvement over a quadrature drive configuration in-vivo. Future potential for a slice-selective version of the ACP pulse is also demonstrated.