Predicting Potential SNR Gain for High Field Body Imaging at 7 Tesla using Radiative Coil Array Element Sensitivity Patterns

Alexander J. E. Raaijmakers¹, Cornelis A. T. van Den Berg¹, Dennis W. J. Klomp²

Body imaging at 7 Tesla is hampered by the increased B1 signal attenuation at higher frequencies. The question therefore arises whether the potential gain in SNR by moving towards higher magnetic field strengths is diminished by the reduced sensitivity of receive coils. In this study, we compare potential receive array element designs and how their sensitivity patterns depend on the B1 frequency. It is shown that when the imaging target is located in the far-field of the antenna, the coil sensitivity does not decrease with magnetic field strength. This results in a quadratic increase in SNR with magnetic field strength.