Concept of Phase Cycling in Pulsed Magnetic Resonance Using Sinusoidal Magnetic Field Modulation

In conventional pulsed magnetic resonance suppression of unwanted signals is achieved by changing pulse phases with respect to the reference signal and spin magnetization phase. This method is called phase cycling. An alternative approach is suggested to separate the unwanted signals from the spin echo by using magnetic field modulation. Precession frequency of the spins, and therefore phases of free indication decays and echo signals, can be controlled by the selection of modulation parameters. This enables phase cycling. Since the signal is detected in the presence of the changing magnetic field, which drives spin precession, the echo signal is frequency-modulated. Numerical transformation into an accelerating reference frame associated with the Larmor frequency restores the signal to a form that would have been observed in the absence of modulation. The suggested phase cycling method is analyzed in detail for the two pulse spin echo case.