Design of a nonlinear human-breast gradient coil with controllable gradient variation

Motivation: To assess diffusion metrics on a cellular scale necessitates much higher gradient amplitudes. A local nonlinear breast gradient coil needs methods of controlling the field variation during the coil design stage. Goal(s): Control the y-axis gradient variation of a double layer local breast gradient coil to achieve far above 1T/m in the whole target region. Approach: Incorporation of a constraint to control the variation of the gradient along the y-axis with a double-layer current-carrying surface. Results: A non-linear local human breast gradient coil with a gradient strength between 1.61 and 3.74 T/m for a current of 650 A was designed. Impact: The coil design with a subsequent implementation paves the way to the application of novel diffusion imaging techniques for the detection and characterization of breast cancer.