Feasibility of active B1+ shimming using remote switching of coupled dielectric pads

Motivation: At ultra-high fields, B1+ inhomogeneities induce unwanted signal loss or hyper-intensity. Current shimming approaches lack an easy-to-apply solution like dielectric pads, that would also allow subject-specific tailoring. Goal(s): To evaluate a novel remote shimming device based on actively-coupled dielectric pads. Approach: A switchboard was constructed using MR-compatible PIN-diodes. Previously proposed dielectric pocket manual coupling configuration was compared to the equivalent remotely enabled connection, in a 3x3 dielectric pad array. Results: Remote shimming device achieved up to 8% modulation across the ROI, compared to X% in the equivalent manual coupling. Shimming location was movable with the choice of coupled dielectric pockets within the array. Impact: At ultra-high field imaging, B1+ inhomogeneities become increasingly prominent. Current shimming approaches lack wide-availability with an option for subject-specific tailoring. In this work, we evaluate a novel remote shimming device based on a dielectric pad array with PIN-diode switchboards.