A coil assembly for MR imaging applications comprises—an electrically conducting RF transmitter coil arrangement (2) for generating an excitation field at an MR operating frequency, the transmitter coil arrangement forming a tubular structure disposed around an imaging volume (4) and having a longitudinal axis (A); —an external RF shield (6) surrounding the transmitter coil arrangement; —at least one electrically conducting RF receiver coil (8; 8a, 8b) disposed within the imaging volume for receiving MR signal from a subject or object disposed therein, the receiver coil being electrically connected, at a connection point (10; 10a, 10b) thereof, to a respective RF receive line (12; 12a, 12b) connectable to a receiver device (14) located outside of the external RF shield. In order to improve the performance of the coil assembly, the respective RF receive line of each receiver coil is oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (A) in a receiver-proximal segment (16; 16a, 16b) between the connection point (10; 10a, 10b) and a neighboring face portion (18; 18a, 18b) of the external RF shield through which the receive line (12; 12a, 12b) is conducted.

Systems and devices are provided in which an RF wireless bridge is employed to facilitate indirect transmission of communication signals between external devices located outside of an electromagnetically shielding enclosure within internal devices located within the enclosure, via the intermediate transmission of RF waves through an RF attenuating window forming a portion of the enclosure. The wireless bridge is formed from a first RF communication device located within the electromagnetically shielding enclosure, and a second RF communication device located outside of the enclosure, where the two RF communication devices are positioned with sufficient proximity such that the wireless bridge facilitates indirect communication through the RF attenuating window despite attenuation of RF energy by the RF attenuating window. In another example embodiment, the electromagnetically shielding enclosure may enclose at least a portion of the first RF communication device to reduce noise that could impact the performance of the magnetic resonance scanner.

Systems and devices are provided in which an RF wireless bridge is employed to facilitate indirect transmission of communication signals between external devices located outside of an electromagnetically shielding enclosure within internal devices located within the enclosure, via the intermediate transmission of RF waves through an RF attenuating window forming a portion of the enclosure. The wireless bridge is formed from a first RF communication device located within the electromagnetically shielding enclosure, and a second RF communication device located outside of the enclosure, where the two RF communication devices are positioned with sufficient proximity such that the wireless bridge facilitates indirect communication through the RF attenuating window despite attenuation of RF energy by the RF attenuating window. In another example embodiment, the electromagnetically shielding enclosure may enclose at least a portion of the first RF communication device to reduce noise that could impact the performance of the magnetic resonance scanner.

Apparatus for imaging during surgical procedures includes an operating room for the surgical procedure and an MRI for obtaining images periodically through the surgical procedure by moving the magnet up to the table. The magnet wire is formed of a superconducting material such as magnesium di-boride or Niobium-Titanium which is cooled by a vacuum cryocooling system to superconductivity without use of liquid helium. The magnet weighs less than 1 to 2 tonne and has a floor area in the range 15 to 35 sq feet so that it can be carried on the floor by a support system having an air cushion covering the base area of the magnet having side skirts so as to spread the weight over the entire base area. The magnet remains in the room during surgery and is powered off to turn off the magnetic field when in the second position remote from the table.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a radio frequency (RF) coil comprising a first combination coil and a second combination coil. The first combination coil comprises a first resonant coil and a first resonant shield coupled inductively or by a capacitor, and the first combination coil has a first resonant frequency and a second resonant frequency. The second combination coil comprises a second resonant coil and a second resonant shield coupled inductively or by a capacitor, and the second combination coil has a third resonant frequency and a fourth resonant frequency. The first and second resonant coils are inductively coupled to each other and respectively to the second and first resonant shields. The first and third resonant working frequencies are the same, and the second and fourth resonant isolation frequencies are such that inductive coupling between the first and second resonant coils is negated.

According to some aspects, a portable magnetic resonance imaging system is provided, comprising a magnetics system having a plurality of magnetics components configured to produce magnetic fields for performing magnetic resonance imaging. The magnetics system comprises a permanent B.sub.0 magnet configured to produce a B.sub.0 field for the magnetic resonance imaging system, and a plurality of gradient coils configured to, when operated, generate magnetic fields to provide spatial encoding of emitted magnetic resonance signals, a power system comprising one or more power components configured to provide power to the magnetics system to operate the magnetic resonance imaging system to perform image acquisition, and a base that supports the magnetics system and houses the power system, the base comprising at least one conveyance mechanism allowing the portable magnetic resonance imaging system to be transported to different locations. According to some aspects, the base has a maximum horizontal dimension of less than or equal to approximately 50 inches. According to some aspects, the portable magnetic resonance imaging system weighs less than 1,500 pounds. According to some aspects, the portable magnetic resonance imaging system has a 5-Gauss line that has a maximum dimension of less than or equal to five feet.

To operate a magnetic resonance tomography system, first analysis signals are received by a main receive antenna and an auxiliary receive antenna. Based thereon, a first interference source and first weighting factors are determined. Second analysis signals are received by the main receive antenna and the auxiliary receive antenna and in accordance with the first weighting factors, a combination of the second analysis signals is created. Based thereon, a second interference source is determined. Second weighting factors are determined in order to suppress the influence of the first interference source and an influence of the second interference source. A magnetic resonance signal is received during an examination phase by the main receive antenna and an interference signal by the auxiliary receive antenna. An interference-suppressed magnetic resonance signal is created as a combination of the magnetic resonance signal and the interference signals depending on the second weighting factors.

To operate a magnetic resonance tomography system, first analysis signals are received by a main receive antenna and an auxiliary receive antenna. Based thereon, a first interference source and first weighting factors are determined. Second analysis signals are received by the main receive antenna and the auxiliary receive antenna and in accordance with the first weighting factors, a combination of the second analysis signals is created. Based thereon, a second interference source is determined. Second weighting factors are determined in order to suppress the influence of the first interference source and an influence of the second interference source. A magnetic resonance signal is received during an examination phase by the main receive antenna and an interference signal by the auxiliary receive antenna. An interference-suppressed magnetic resonance signal is created as a combination of the magnetic resonance signal and the interference signals depending on the second weighting factors.

A housing for shielding a sensor from a radiofrequency field and an imaging system including the same are provided in the present disclosure. The imaging system may include a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device. The housing may include a plurality of walls forming at least a part of a cavity for accommodating a sensor of the imaging system. At least one of the plurality of walls may include a substrate and a multi-layered structure disposed on the substrate. The multi-layered structure may include a plurality of metallic layers. At least one pair of adjacent layers of the plurality of metallic layers may include slits. The slits of the at least one pair of adjacent layers may be staggered.

A nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) system is configured to detect chemical threat material. The system comprises a magnet configured to generate a magnetic field of about 300 millitesla or less; and a probe configured to detect nuclear relaxation of at least two nuclei selected from the group consisting of .sup.1H, .sup.19F, .sup.31P and .sup.14N, and detect the spin density of nuclei selected from the group consisting of .sup.1H, .sup.19F, .sup.31P and .sup.14N, following excitation.