Signal Leakage(L-Factor) as a Measure for Parallel Imaging Performance Among Simultaneously Multi-Slice (SMS) Excited & Acquired Signals

Steen Moeller¹, Junqian Xu¹, Edward J. Auerbach¹, Essa Yacoub¹, Kamil Ugurbil¹

A Monte-Carlo type analysis with a fixed spectral frequency driving function is introduced as a new metric (L-factor) for determining residual signal leakage for slice separation from simultaneous multi-slice acquisitions. Compared with the geometry factor for noise amplification, the metric is shown to be a better quantifiable metric for high acceleration factors.