A portable magnetic resonance imager has a probe. One or more magnets are disposed in the probe, creating at least one magnetic field to precess protons at a target. A magnetometer disposed in the probe has a light source and a nitrogen vacancy diamond. The light source projects a light on the nitrogen vacancy diamond. The nitrogen vacancy diamond fluoresces in response to the light. A photodetector detects the fluorescence and produces a signal in response thereto indicative of the decaying of precessing protons having precessed in the presence of the one or more magnets.

In some embodiments, an apparatus, system, and method may operate to transmit, using a first transceiver antenna, a common signal into a geological formation, and to receive in response to the transmitting, at the first transceiver antenna, a first corresponding nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal from a first volume of the formation. Additional activity may include receiving, in response to the transmitting, at a second transceiver antenna spaced apart from the first transceiver antenna, the common signal transformed by the formation into a received resistivity signal, as well as transmitting, using the second transceiver antenna, a second corresponding NMR signal into a second volume of the formation different from the first volume of the formation. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio frequency (RF) coil comprising an LC circuit including at least one series capacitor, and a decoupling circuit connected in parallel to the LC circuit. The decoupling circuit is configured to decouple the MRI RF coil from one or more other MRI RF coils using passive decoupling upon the production of an induced voltage in the decoupling circuit, or to actively decouple the MRI RF coil from one or more other MRI RF coils upon the insertion of a DC bias into the decoupling circuit. The decoupling circuit includes a pair of fast switching PIN diodes including a first PIN diode connected antiparallel with a second PIN diode, the second PIN diode connected in series with a first capacitor. The decoupling circuit further includes an inductor connected in series with the pair of fast switching PIN diodes and the capacitor.

An endorectal coil (1) includes a tube (40), a spreader (44), and one or more electrically conductive elements (64). The tube (40) is configured for insertion into the rectum (42). The spreader (44) is configured to be positioned at a distal end of the tube (40) and mechanically spread to compress surrounding tissue after the tube (40) is inserted. The one or more electrically conductive elements (64) are tuned to receive magnetic resonance data disposed on at least one of the tube (40), the spreader (44), and adjacent the tube and spreader.

An endorectal coil (1) includes a tube (40), a spreader (44), and one or more electrically conductive elements (64). The tube (40) is configured for insertion into the rectum (42). The spreader (44) is configured to be positioned at a distal end of the tube (40) and mechanically spread to compress surrounding tissue after the tube (40) is inserted. The one or more electrically conductive elements (64) are tuned to receive magnetic resonance data disposed on at least one of the tube (40), the spreader (44), and adjacent the tube and spreader.

An MR Spectroscopy (MRS) system and approach is provided for diagnosing painful and non-painful discs in chronic, severe low back pain patients (DDD-MRS). A DDD-MRS pulse sequence generates and acquires DDD-MRS spectra within intervertebral disc nuclei for later signal processing & diagnostic analysis. An interfacing DDD-MRS signal processor receives output signals of the DDD-MRS spectra acquired and is configured to optimize signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by an automated system that selectively conducts optimal channel selection, phase and frequency correction, and frame editing as appropriate for a given acquisition series. A diagnostic processor calculates a diagnostic value for the disc based upon a weighted factor set of criteria that uses MRS data extracted from the acquired and processed MRS spectra along regions associated with multiple chemicals that have been correlated to painful vs. non-painful discs. A diagnostic display provides a scaled, color coded legend and indication of results for each disc analyzed as an overlay onto a mid-sagittal T2-weighted MRI image of the lumbar spine for the patient being diagnosed. Clinical application of the embodiments provides a non-invasive, objective, pain-free, reliable approach for diagnosing painful vs. non-painful discs by simply extending and enhancing the utility of otherwise standard MRI exams of the lumbar spine.

A nuclear magnetic resonance coil array and a decoupling method thereof, and a nuclear magnetic resonance detection device. The coil array includes: a coil resonant unit and a decoupling network unit, where the coil resonant unit includes multiple coil resonant circuits; the decoupling network unit includes multiple decoupling circuits; where a coil resonant circuit includes a coil and a resonant capacitor; the resonant capacitor in each coil resonant circuit is connected in parallel with the coil; the coils in each coil resonance circuit are equally spaced on a circumference; a decoupling circuit is provided between a positive terminal and a negative terminal of adjacent coils, respectively; each coil is connected to an antenna switching circuit of a nuclear magnetic resonance detection device at the same time.

A method and a magnetic resonance tomography system are provided. The magnetic resonance tomography system is activated for transmitting a gradient field by an amplifier and a control with a gradient signal for creating the gradient field. The magnetic resonance tomography system includes a number of transmit segments activated for simultaneous transmission of radio-frequency pulses in each case of one or of a number of different frequencies by an amplifier and a control to excite a region in an examination object in each case.

The embodiments relate to a body coil, to a magnetic resonance device, and to a method for operating a magnetic resonance device. The body coil includes at least one antenna unit and at least one pre-amplification unit, wherein the pre-amplification unit is arranged at a feed point of the antenna unit, wherein the pre-amplification unit has an input reflection factor at the feed point of the antenna unit whose value is greater than 0.7.