Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a popular medical imaging modality that provides high resolution images with superior contrast. Conventional MRI systems rely on large magnets to generate the main magnetic field, B₀, that is both strong and extremely uniform to minimize image distortion. A strong and uniform magnetic field creates magnetization in the sample that provides a source of a signal. Such a field can be created by a heavy permanent magnet or by cryogenically cooled superconducting system. An alternative approach, called prepolarized MRI (PMRI), uses a pulsed magnetic field to create magnetization prior to signal collection. PMRI has been suggested as a low-cost approach to boost the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) which is a fundamental measure of scanner performance. To enable PMRI experiments, a pulsed electromagnet controller has been designed and built. In this thesis, the theory of the controller is presented and results are discussed.
Nam, Hyokwon (2001). A pulsed electromagnet controller for prepolarized MRI. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -2001 -THESIS -N354.