Tuning/Matching RF Coils
Depending on the type of the RF coil, tuning and matching of the coil 1) is required when the load of the sample has changed between consecutive imaging or spectroscopy studies.
Correct tuning and matching reduces the reflection of RF power during transmission and increases the sensitivity (SNR) during signal reception. It is therefore most important for the coil receiving the signal and less for the transmission coil in a cross coil configuration2).
Tuning and matching of a RF coil needs to be performed exactly with the sample and setup that is used when scanning. The so called “wobble curve” is displayed on the RF interface display as soon as the wobble process has been started in ParaVision. The example below shows different situations:
Pos. No | Description |
|---|---|
1 | The RF coil is correctly tuned and well matched |
2 | The RF coil is detuned (off-resonant), but well matched => change the tuning of the coil |
3 | TH RF coil is tuned (on-resonant), but miss-matched => change the matching of the coil |
The following sub-chapters provide the general workflow for the tune procedures of different families of RF coils. Please check the coil-specific user manual for dedicated procedures that are not described in this manual.
