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An analytic expression for the ultimate intrinsic SNR in a uniform sphere
Author(s) -
Lee HongHsi,
Sodickson Daniel K.,
Lattanzi Riccardo
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.27207
Subject(s) - radius , expression (computer science) , physics , divergence (linguistics) , function (biology) , center (category theory) , mode (computer interface) , mathematical analysis , analytic function , series (stratigraphy) , exact solutions in general relativity , dielectric , computational physics , mathematics , computer science , quantum mechanics , chemistry , paleontology , programming language , operating system , philosophy , linguistics , computer security , evolutionary biology , crystallography , biology
Purpose The ultimate intrinsic signal‐to‐noise ratio (UISNR) is normally calculated using electrodynamic simulations with a complete basis of modes. Here, we provide an exact solution for the UISNR at the center of a dielectric sphere and assess how accurately this solution approximates UISNR away from the center. Methods We performed a mode analysis to determine which modes contribute to central UISNR – ζ ( r → 0 ) . We then derived an analytic expression to calculate ζ ( r → 0 )and analyzed its dependence on main magnetic field strength, sample geometry, and electrical properties. We validated the proposed solution against an established method based on dyadic Green's function simulations. Results Only one divergence‐free mode contributes to ζ ( r → 0 ) . The UISNR given by the exact solution matched the full simulation results for various parameter settings, whereas calculation speed was approximately 1000 times faster. We showed that the analytic expression can approximate the UISNR with <5% error at positions as much as 10–20% of the radius away from the center. Conclusion The proposed formula enables rapid and direct calculation of UISNR in the central region of a sphere. The resulting UISNR value may be used, for example, as an absolute reference to assess the performance of head coils with spherical phantoms.