A high-temperature superconducting Helmholtz probe for microscopy at 9.4 T

The design and operation of a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) probe for magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) at 400 MHz are presented. The desig n of the probe includes a Helmholtz coil configuration and a stable open-cy cle cooling mechanism. Characterization of coil operating parameters is pre sented to demonstrate the suitability of cryo-cooled coils for MRM, Specifi cally, the performance of the probe is evaluated by comparison of signal-to -noise (SNR) performance with that of a copper Helmholtz pair, analysis of B-1 field homogeneity, and quantification of thermal stability. Images are presented to demonstrate the SNR advantage of the probe for typical MRM app lications. Magn Reson Med 41:1032-1038, 1999, (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.