7T MRI Coils: Streamline Approach in Analysis of Coil Coupling

Motivation: To gain a better understanding of electromagnetic (EM) interactions in RF coil designs by visualizing their EM flow. Goal(s): Identifying the dominant coupling mechanism in different coil types through visualization of electric and magnetic fields and power flow. Approach: Simulating conventional, shielded-coaxial-cable (SCC), twisted pair coils, and square loops (self-decoupled coils) to visualize their EM fields using streamlines. Results: Diverse coupling behaviors are observed among the coil types, each demonstrating unique dominant mechanisms. A high resemblance in the EM flow between the self-decoupled coil and the SCC and twisted pair coils was found. Impact: Identifying the dominant coupling mechanism in different coil designs with streamlines can help in adjusting the coil design for maximum interelement decoupling when placed in an array configuration.