Impact of wire metasurface eigenmode on the sensitivity enhancement of MRI system

The sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is dictated by the signal-to-noise ratio. It was recently noted that the signal-to-noise ratio could be substantially increased via excitation of certain metasurface eigenmodes. Here, we provide a detailed discussion of the wire metasurface eigenmode impact on the sensitivity of MRI. We experimentally show that due to the spatial redistribution of the electromagnetic near field, mediated by the metasurface eigenmode, the received signal from the studied object becomes essentially dependent on its position on the metasurface. Moreover, we analyzed how the metasurface performance significantly depends on the dimensions of an examined object. Our work provides metasurface design guidelines for substantial enhancement of MRI sensitivity. Published by AIP Publishing.