Magnetostatic simulation for accurate design of low field MRI phased-array coils

Radiofrequency receiver phased-array coils in magnetic resonance imaging systems are used to pick up the signals emitted by the nuclei with high signal-to-noise ratio and a large region of sensitivity. The quality of obtained images strongly depends upon the correct choice of the coils geometry and typology. In this work, we propose a fast coil simulation method, which permits to design phased-array coils with great accuracy. The developed algorithm exploits magnetostatic analysis to obtain accurate calculation of the mutual inductances between the array coils and the magnetic field pattern. Using the simulator, we designed a novel phased-array coil composed of a couple of rectangular butterfly elements.