Longitudinal gradient coil optimization in the presence of transient eddy currents

The switching of magnetic field gradient coils in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) inevitably induces transient eddy currents in conducting system components, such as the cryostat vessel. These secondary currents degrade the spatial and temporal performance of the gradient coils, and compensation methods are commonly employed to correct for these distortions. This theoretical study shows that by incorporating the eddy currents into the coil optimization process, it is possible to modify a gradient coil design so that the fields created by the coil and the eddy currents combine together to generate a spatially homogeneous gradient that follows the input pulse. Shielded and unshielded longitudinal gradient coils are used to exemplify this novel approach. To assist in the evaluation of transient eddy currents induced within a realistic cryostat vessel, a low‐frequency finite‐difference time‐domain (FDTD) method using the total‐field scattered‐field (TFSF) scheme was performed. The simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for optimizing longitudinal gradient fields while taking into account the spatial and temporal behavior of the eddy currents. Magn Reson Med 57:1119–1130, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.