Improvement of the Uniformity of the RF Field Generated by the Helical Surface Coil of a Nuclear-Quadrupole-Resonance Spectrometer

A simple and rather efficient method is proposed for improving the uniformity of the RF field generated by a surface helical coil with nonlinearly distributed turns. An optimal law of the distribution of the turns of a helical coil is suggested. The results of a computer simulation of the field produced by this coil are presented and compared with the data for a conventionally used coil in the form of a linear spiral. The coils were tested during detection of nuclear quadrupole resonance signals on ¹⁴N nuclei in a (CH₂)₆N₄polycrystal and demonstrated the efficiency of the technique proposed for improving the field uniformity.     

Development of a solenoid RF coil for animal imaging in 3 T high-magnetic-field MRI

The purpose of this study was to develop a solenoid coil for use with small animals in a 3 Tesla horizontal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, and to investigate image quality by examination of parameters such as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and Q-factor. A receiver solenoid coil was formed by winding three separate coils of copper tape around an acryl cylinder. The cylinder was supported at each end. A euthanized rat weighing 240 g was used as a subject animal for imaging. A cylindrical plastic tube containing a solution of 0.7 g/L CuSO(4) was used as a phantom. Measured SNRs were 985 in the phantom image 995 in the rat. The Q-factor was 89 in the phantom and 84 in the rat, in the loaded condition. The homogeneity of the radiofrequency (RF) field was good and the resolution of the image was sufficient to distinguish internal organs from one another in the abdomen of a rat. This study has demonstrated that a solenoid coil may be used to produce good quality images of small animals.     

Magnetic resonance butterfly coils: Design and application for hyperpolarized C studies

Hyperpolarized ¹³C magnetic resonance spectroscopy in pig models enables cardiac metabolism assessment and provides a powerful tool for heart physiology studies, although the low molar concentration of derivate metabolites gives rise to technological limitations in terms of data quality. The design of dedicated coils capable of providing large field of view with high Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) data is of fundamental importance.     

Design and testing of a 1.5 Tesla double-tuned (H/P) RF surface coil with intrinsic geometric isolation

We analyse the isolation characteristics of axial and transverse field surface radio frequency coils, used to design a double-tuned surface coil composed by two coils, that combine proton (¹H) detection and localized spectra of phosphorous (³¹P). Several geometrical configurations were analysed, including circular loop and figure-of-eight coils, with the aim to optimize the isolation between the two channels. Our analysis shows that by using at least one transverse coil for the design of the double-tuned probe, it is possible to achieve a good intrinsic geometrical decoupling, without the need of additional decoupling circuits. On the basis of the experimental results, we have designed and built a 1.5 T double-tuned probe composed by a circular loop coil and a transverse field coil, with the external coil tuned at the ¹H frequency and the internal coil tuned at the ³¹P frequency, that shows a good intrinsic decoupling and signal-to-noise ratio.     

A linear superconducting suspension for a gravity-inertial instrument

A noncontact stable linear suspension is proposed for a ring-shaped superconducting coil in the magnetic field of two other stationary ring-shaped superconducting coaxial coils. The suspended coil is located between the stationary coils. To measure the displacement of the suspended coil, the stationary coils are connected in parallel and a low-inductance measuring coil is placed in the circuit between the connection points. The current in the measuring coil varies according to a linear law as the suspended coil is displaced along the common axis of the stationary coils. The characteristics of the instrument based on such a suspension are numerically evaluated. Due to the absence of a displacement meter as a separate unit, it is possible to simplify the design of the instrument to the maximum extent and exclude the reverse effect of the displacement meter on the suspended coil.     

Efficiency evaluation of a C Magnetic Resonance birdcage coil: Theory and comparison of four methods

Radiofrequency coils in Magnetic Resonance systems are used to produce a homogeneous B₁ field for exciting the nuclei and to pick up the signals emitted by the nuclei with high signal-to-noise ratio. Accordingly, coil performance affects strongly the quality of the obtained data and images.     

Characterization of a linear device developed for research on advanced plasma imaging and dynamics

Within the scope of long term research on imaging diagnostics for steady-state plasmas and understanding of edge plasma physics through diagnostics with conventional spectroscopic methods, we have constructed a linear electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma device named Research on Advanced Plasma Imaging and Dynamics (RAPID). It has a variety of axial magnetic field profiles provided by eight water-cooled magnetic coils and two dc power supplies. The positions of the magnetic coils are freely adjustable along the axial direction and the power supplies can be operated with many combinations of electrical wiring to the coils. Here, a 6 kW 2.45 GHz magnetron is used to produce steady-state hydrogen, helium, and argon plasmas with central magnetic fields of 875 and/or 437.5 G (second harmonic). In order to achieve the highest possible plasma performance within the limited input parameters, wall conditioning experiments were carried out. Chamber bake-out was achieved with heating coils that were wound covering the vessel, and long-pulse electron cyclotron heating discharge cleaning was also followed after 4 days of bake-out. A uniform bake-out temperature (150?°C) was achieved by wrapping the vessel in high temperature thermal insulation textile and by controlling the heating coil current using a digital control system. The partial pressure changes were observed using a residual gas analyzer, and a total system pressure of 5×10(-8)?Torr was finally reached. Diagnostic systems including a millimeter-wave interferometer, a high resolution survey spectrometer, a Langmuir probe, and an ultrasoft x-ray detector were used to provide the evidence that the plasma performance was improved as we desired. In this work, we present characterization of the RAPID device for various system conditions and configurations.     

Fabrication and characterization of a new MEMS fluxgate sensor with nanocrystalline magnetic core

This paper presents a new MEMS fluxgate sensor with a Fe-based nanocrystalline ribbon magnetic core and 3D micro-solenoid coils. The excitation coils were placed vertically to the sensing coil on the chip plane. Second harmonic operation principle was adopted in this fluxgate sensor. The total size of the fluxgate sensor was 6.25 mm × 4.85 mm × 120 μm. A simple testing system was established to characterize the fabricated devices. A band pass filter was used to pick up the second harmonic signals in the sensing coils. When excitation rms current of 120 mA and the operational frequency of 200 kHz were selected for the testing of the fabricated devices, the sensitivity of the developed fluxgate sensor was 1005 V/T in the linear range of −500 μT to +500 μT. Due to the combination of the 3D structure coils with the nanocrystalline core, relatively low sensor noise was achieved. The noise power density was 544 pT/Hz^0.5@1 Hz and the noise rms level was 9.68 nT in the frequency range of 25 mHz-10 Hz.     

Magnetic pulser and sample holder for time- and spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on magnetic materials

A compact coil setup, in conjunction with a high power current pulser, is presented; developed especially for time- and spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measuring the sample in magnetic remanence at room temperature. A novel approach is presented where the sample is switched in the stray field of a coil pair. This enables the electrical biasing of the sample without altering the electron trajectories due to field gradients introduced by the coils. The pulser driving the coils reaches a peak power of 1 MW at 1 kA with a switching frequency up to 10 kHz suitable for experiments, for example, with state of the art repetition rates of femtosecond laser systems.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance apparatus for pulsed high magnetic fields

A nuclear magnetic resonance apparatus for experiments in pulsed high magnetic fields is described. The magnetic field pulses created together with various magnet coils determine the requirements such an apparatus has to fulfill to be operated successfully in pulsed fields. Independent of the chosen coil it is desirable to operate the entire experiment at the highest possible bandwidth such that a correspondingly large temporal fraction of the magnetic field pulse can be used to probe a given sample. Our apparatus offers a bandwidth of up to 20 MHz and has been tested successfully at the Hochfeld-Magnetlabor Dresden, even in a very fast dual coil magnet that has produced a peak field of 94.2 T. Using a medium-sized single coil with a significantly slower dependence, it is possible to perform advanced multi-pulse nuclear magnetic resonance experiments. As an example we discuss a Carr-Purcell spin echo sequence at a field of 62 T.     

Manufacturing of a superconducting magnet system for 28 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion source at KBSI

A magnet system for a 28 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion source is being developed by the Korea Basic Science Institute. The configuration of the magnet system consists of 3 solenoid coils for a mirror magnetic field and 6 racetrack coils for a hexapole magnetic field. They can generate axial magnetic fields of 3.6 T at the beam injection part and 2.2 T at the extraction part. A radial magnetic field of 2.1 T is achievable at the plasma chamber wall. A step type winding process was employed in fabricating the hexapole coil. The winding technique was confirmed through repeated cooling tests. Superconducting magnets and a cryostat system are currently being manufactured.     

Experimental investigation on workers’ exposure to electromagnetic fields in proximity of magnetic resonance imaging systems

The paper presents the results of an experimental activity focused on the measurement of electromagnetic fields generated by magnetic resonance imaging systems, carried out with the purpose of assessing exposure of workers to static, low frequency and radio-frequency electromagnetic fields , as required by the EU Directive 2004/40/EC. The main contribution of the paper is that it presents a comparative study of exposure carried out during operation of the MRI system and close to the sources, with different scanning sequences and RF coils. Results show that the static magnetic field follows the theoretical values only close to the magnet due to the effect of the walls, with a few percent variation due to the operating conditions; exposure to the magnetic field in the low frequency band is mainly determined by emissions generated by the power grid at 50 Hz and by the pulses driving the gradient coils; and finally the radio-frequency band only shows contributions by the diagnostic pulses at the resonance frequency, with exposure levels usually below the limits contained in the Directive.     

SAR of a birdcage coil with variable number of rungs at 300 MHz

The specific absorption rate produced in a rat’s brain phantom inside of quadrature birdcage coil as a function of the rung number was studied at 300 MHz. Electromagnetic field simulations and specific absorption rate and loss return responses were performed using a rat’s brain phantom weighing 100 mg. To assure optimal simulations and to evaluate coil performance, S-parameters were simulated and compared with experimentally data. Simulations showed that magnetic field uniformity improves and that electric field is increased with the number of rungs. Specific absorption rate and temperature values obtained from axial bi-dimensional maps increase as the number of rungs grows. These results corroborated very well with published data. A quadrature 16-rung birdcage coil was developed for comparison and phantom images were acquired to show its feasibility. The presented approach yields information on specific absorption rate allowing to previously develop RF coils and their possible effects on the biological sample.     

Optimization of multilayer cylindrical coils in a wireless localization system to track a capsule-shaped micro-device

A wireless electromagnetic localization method has been presented to track capsule-shaped micro-devices in the gastrointestinal tract. And a prototype for the novel localization system has been developed. In the localization method, cylindrical coils placed on the patient’s abdomen generate alternating electromagnetic fields one by one. The system of equations from the localization model has been established and then transformed into a nonlinear optimization problem. The localization method presents excellent anti-interference ability and high stability. In order to solve the magnetic inverse problem in the localization model, an analytical expression between the magnetic flux density and the position & orientation should be derived by superposition of the fields generated by the coil turns, which causes systematic errors. As a result, the geometry of the cylindrical coils is optimized to reduce the errors. A full factorial experiment with two factors has been carried out. The experiment shows that the optimal L/Dout ratio and Din/Dout ratio are 0.4 and 0.8, respectively. In this case, the mean error and the standard deviation are reduced to 0.89% and 0.77%, respectively, where the distance along the axis of the cylindrical coil from the coil’s center to a measured point is 30 mm. Furthermore, the experimental results also show that the imitation error decreases significantly with increased distance from the coil. The accuracy of the localization model can be further improved using the optimized coil.     

Development of custom-made RF coil for magnetic resonance velocimeter with a high spatial resolution

Magnetic resonance velocimetry (MRV) is a versatile flow visualization technique that is used to measure three-component velocity vectors in a 3D space. However, the spatial resolution of MRV is relatively poor in comparison with optical flow visualization techniques, thereby limiting its applicability to small-scale flows and wall shear stress (WSS) estimation. Thus, we built a solenoid RF coil and evaluated its performance in terms of spatial resolution improvement by measuring the laminar flow in a circular tubing. The coil was developed for a 4.7 Tesla MRI system and for tightly wrapping a flow tubing with an inner diameter of 2 mm. The custom-made RF coil could precisely capture the velocity vectors in a voxel that was 11 times smaller than a commercial coil at the same SNR. Therefore, the WSS errors estimated using the custom-made and commercial coils were 8.5 % and 42.3 %, respectively.

     

High-temperature superconducting quantum interference device with cooled LC resonant circuit for measuring alternating magnetic fields with improved signal-to-noise ratio

Certain applications of superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) require a magnetic field measurement only in a very narrow frequency range. In order to selectively improve the alternating-current (ac) magnetic field sensitivity of a high-temperature superconductor SQUID for a distinct frequency, a single-coil LC resonant circuit has been used. Within the liquid nitrogen bath, the coil surrounds the SQUID and couples to it inductively. Copper coils with different numbers of windings were used to cover the frequency range from <1 to nearly 100 kHz. A superconducting coil made of YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta) tape conductor was also tested. With the LC circuit, the signal-to-noise ratio of measurements could be improved typically by one order of magnitude or more in a narrow frequency band around the resonance frequency exceeding a few kilohertz. The best attained equivalent magnetic field resolution was 2.5 fT/radicalHz at 88 kHz. The experimental findings are in good agreement with mathematical analysis of the circuit with copper coil.     

A three-axes-compensated inductive magnetometer for measurements in high pulsed magnetic fields

A high-sensititity magnetometer intended for studying the magnetic properties of materials in pulsed magnetic fields of up to 43 T is described. A distinctive feature of the magnetometer is its method for compensating pickups generated in the magnetometer sensing element by a pulsed field. The commonly used uniaxial high-order compensation is replaced by a triaxial compensation of the lowest (quadrupole) order, combined with a transverse arrangement of the main probe coils. This method has allowed us to achieve a compensation level of the signal in the working coil (with an inner diameter of 1.4 or 1.75 mm) of the magnetometer without a sample of up to 10⁻⁶ for the longitudinal and 10⁻⁴ for the transverse field components. The magnetic moment sensitivity of the magnetometer is 10⁻⁴ mA·m² in fields below 10 T and 10⁻³ mA·m² at a field pulse amplitude of 35 T. A deviation of the compensation is below 2×10⁻⁴ for a temperature increase from 77 to 300 K and below 5×10⁻⁵ after sample replacement. The sample temperature is controlled by a fast-acting temperature control system in a range of 6–300 K to an accuracy of 0.3–0.05 K.     

Fractional-order system identification and proportional-derivative control of a solid-core magnetic bearing

This paper presents the application of fractional-order system identification (FOSI) and proportional-derivative (PD^µ) control to a solid-core magnetic bearing (MB). A practical strategy for closed-loop incommensurate FOSI along with a modified error criterion is utilized to model the MB system and a corresponding, verification experiment is carried out. Based on the identified model, integer-order (IO) PD and fractional-order (FO) PD^µ controllers are designed and compared with the same specifications. Besides, the relation between the two categories of controllers is discussed by their feasible control zones. Final simulation and experimental results show that the FO PD^µ controller can significantly improve the transient and steady-state performance of the MB system comparing with the IO PD controller.     

Dynamic performance of high speed solenoid valve with parallel coils

The methods of improving the dynamic performance of high speed on/off solenoid valve include increasing the magnetic force of armature and the slew rate of coil current, decreasing the mass and stroke of moving parts. The increase of magnetic force usually leads to the decrease of current slew rate, which could increase the delay time of the dynamic response of solenoid valve. Using a high voltage to drive coil can solve this contradiction, but a high driving voltage can also lead to more cost and a decrease of safety and reliability. In this paper, a new scheme of parallel coils is investigated, in which the single coil of solenoid is replaced by parallel coils with same ampere turns. Based on the mathematic model of high speed solenoid valve, the theoretical formula for the delay time of solenoid valve is deduced. Both the theoretical analysis and the dynamic simulation show that the effect of dividing a single coil into N parallel sub-coils is close to that of driving the single coil with N times of the original driving voltage as far as the delay time of solenoid valve is concerned. A specific test bench is designed to measure the dynamic performance of high speed on/off solenoid valve. The experimental results also prove that both the delay time and switching time of the solenoid valves can be decreased greatly by adopting the parallel coil scheme. This research presents a simple and practical method to improve the dynamic performance of high speed on/off solenoid valve.     

Microsecond Lifetime of Exciton Spin Polarization in (In,Al)As/AlAs Quantum Dots

The time of spin relaxation of excitons in (In,Al)As/AlAs quantum dots with an indirect bandgap and type-I band alignment is determined by measuring the dynamics of photoluminescence circular polarization induced by a magnetic field B. The spin relaxation time τ _S increases with decreasing magnetic field in proportion to B ^?5; its value is ～40 µs in a magnetic field of 6 T at a temperature of 1.8 K. As the temperature T increases in a magnetic field of 7 T, the value of τ _S decreases as T ^?1.1. The character of the dependences of τ _S on the magnetic field and temperature evidences that spin relaxation of excitons is provided by a process with participation of one acoustic phonon.