A 3 x 3 mesh two-dimensional ladder network resonator for MRI of the human head

A new radiofrequency resonator for MR imaging of the human head is presented. The geometry consists of a single end-ring connected to eight legs which extend along a cylinder and are joined in pairs on a hemispherical dome. The most homogeneous normal mode of this structure is doubly degenerate and affords quadrature operation. The high sensitivity in the hemispherical end is particularly suited to human brain studies. This resonator represents a clinical application of two-dimensional ladder network resonant structures whose operation may be understood by analogy to the mechanical problem of oscillating two-dimensional membranes.