Abstract #2174

A Q-switch system for an MRI RF coil operating at 2.5 MHz.

Nicholas R. Payne¹, Lionel M. Broche¹, and David J. Lurie¹

¹Bio-Medical Physics, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom

RF coil ringing following an excitation pulse is particularly problematic at low frequency and can prevent the measurement of signals from short-T2 samples or tissues; this issue can be addressed by Q-switching. A Q-switch circuit, designed to operate at 2.5 MHz and reduce the dead-time of an RF coil following an RF pulse, is described. The resulting reduction in coil dead-time allows signal to be detected earlier and RF pulses to be spaced closer together. MOSFETs are used in our design to isolate RF from the DC control system and the circuit can be inductively coupled to any RF coil. The device was found to reduce the duration of coil ringing by a factor of five.

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