Despite decades of collective experience, RF coil optimization has remained a largely empirical process, with clear insight into what might constitute truly task-optimal, as opposed to merely “good,” coil performance being difficult to come by. We introduce a new principle, the Optimality Principle, which allows one to predict the form of signal-optimizing current patterns on any arbitrary surface, using a simple conceptual framework. After a brief derivation of the principle, we illustrate its use in generating ideal current patterns for various experimental conditions, and in understanding the emergence of electric dipoles as strong performers at high frequency.
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