An eight-channel transmit/receive array of TE01 mode high permittivity ceramic resonators for human imaging at 7 T

This study describes the design, construction and operation of a new type of transmit/receive array using ceramic resonators operating in a transverse electromagnetic (TE) mode. Single element function and performance at 298.1 MHz (7 T) are analyzed and compared to a lumped element design loop coil with comparable geometry. The results show that ceramic resonators working in the TE018 mode configuration produce similar efficiency, defined as the transmit magnetic field (131) per square root of the specific absorption rate (SAR), to conventional surface coils. An array consisting of eight ceramic elements was then designed to operate in transmit/receive mode. This array was driven via power/phase splitters by two independent transmit channels and functional cardiac images were produced from a number of healthy volunteers. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.