Multinuclear MRI Using a Single Adaptable Transmit Hardware

Motivation: Routine studies of nuclei other than 1H are constrained by the need of separate fixed tuned hardware. Goal(s): To increase flexibility of the multinuclear setup by developing an adaptable single transmit hardware to allow excitation of many low-frequency nuclei and 1H. Approach: The conventional remote broadband amplifier was replaced by an optically controlled dual-tuned on-coil amplifier for 1H and X-nuclei excitation. The amplifier can be automatically tuned to the selected frequency by pulse-width-modulation of an optically transmitted pulse. Results: Automatic tuning of a first prototype was possible for excitation of 13C, 23Na and 129Xe, while performance of 1H excitation at 7T was unaffected. Impact: The presented technology combined with new adaptable receive hardware can advance the implementation of routine multinuclear studies to extend research of X-nuclei and their potential clinical use.