Toward designing asymmetric head gradient coils for high-resolution imaging

Abstract

The aim of the research described here is to design head gradient coils using approaches previously developed by the authors. The wave equation method for designing gradient coils is used to design a transverse gradient coil winding on a cylindrical/spherical former. The results are compared with asymmetric cylindrical designs and other well-known head gradient coil designs to establish the quality of the gradient coil winding. Comparisons of field, inductance, torque, and other quality factors are made before conclusions are drawn about the adequacy of such a winding pattern to perform high-resolution imaging of the head. We show that it is possible to generate a robust winding pattern that has good efficiency and produces a sufficiently large imaging volume. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.