High-Temperature Superconducting Receivers for Ultra-Low Field MRI

The long term objective of this project is to develop high-performance magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) receivers to enable novel, low-cost MRI machine designs. The key components of these coils are high-temperature superconducting (HTS) thin films and cryogenic amplifiers. One design for a novel low-cost MRI machine is pre-polarized MRI (PMRI), which is currently under development at several research laboratories. In PMRI, the sample is subjected to a high-field polarizing pulse, followed by an ultra-low field pulse during collection of the image data. Due to the reduced costs of capital equipment, siting and service, PMRI machines are expected to provide clinically useful images for as little as one-tenth the cost of present-day commercial MRI machines. The key component still required to make PMRI a feasible technology is an ultra-low loss RF receiver. Present-day MRI receiver technology is inadequate for the low-noise requirements of PMRI. For the Phase I effort, we propose to make and test a prototype of an HTS coil that will be suitable for PMRI as well as other kinds of ultra-low field imaging. Anticipated Benefits: Success in this research effort will enable commercial development of PMRI machines and other forms of ultra-low field imaging. These machines are expected to gain a significant share of the U.S. medical imaging market, as the health reform movement is placing an increasing emphasis on cost-effective diagnostics.