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A Sub-Microsecond Switch Enabling SWIFT 23Na Imaging at 10.5 T
Russell L Lagore1, Simon Schmidt1,2, Edward J Auerbach1
1Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
|June 8, 2026
Summary
Custom electronics enable sodium SWIFT imaging at ultra-high fields. This zero-echo time technique achieved sub-microsecond switching speeds, paving the way for advanced musculoskeletal imaging applications.
Area of Science:
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Biomedical Engineering
- Hardware Development
Background:
- Sodium SWIFT (Simultaneous Whole-body Imaging with Fast Encoding) is a zero-echo time imaging technique.
- Ultra-high magnetic fields offer potential for enhanced MRI sensitivity and resolution.
- Developing custom hardware is essential for implementing advanced MRI techniques at higher field strengths.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop custom electronics hardware for enabling sodium SWIFT imaging at ultra-high magnetic fields.
- To demonstrate the capability of the developed hardware through in vivo imaging results.
Main Methods:
- Designed and implemented a high-speed optical trigger (10 ns resolution).
- Developed an in-bore PIN diode driver for high current sourcing.
- Optimized RF switches (attenuator and T/R switch) for sub-microsecond switching speeds and high isolation.
Main Results:
- Achieved practical switching speeds of 0.6 μs (receive to transmit) and 1.7 μs (transmit to receive).
- Obtained high transmit to receive isolation (115 dB over 1 MHz bandwidth, 120 dB at Larmor frequency).
- Acquired 1.5 mm isotropic resolution SWIFT images of the human wrist in under 5 minutes, comparable SNR to ultra-short echo time imaging.
Conclusions:
- Established the feasibility of sodium SWIFT imaging at ultra-high fields.
- Demonstrated a practical musculoskeletal imaging application.
- The developed hardware enables further SWIFT development for various nuclei at high and ultra-high fields.
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