Service de Physique de l'Etat Condensé

The promise for supralinear higher signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratio to yield higher quality images and exquisite details about the human brain has fueled a race for slow but steadily increasing magnetic fields in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). In this context, the whole-body Iseult 11.7T magnet is a world-première and provides the highest magnetic field in the world to perform MRI on human subjects. Designed by CEA/Irfu, it cumulates nearly 20 years of research and development combining magnetism, cryogenics, superconductivity, electronics and many other disciplines. With first images successfully acquired on a pumpkin in 2021, researchers at NeuroSpin now progressively enter into the exploitation phase. With higher fields, however, come greater challenges such as RF and static field inhomogeneity, RF field safety (tissue heating) and acquisition speed which need to be overcome to enable an optimal exploitation of this unique MRI scanner. After presenting the nuts and bolts of MRI, this talk will present the Iseult adventure, starting from its design and conception, journey and final images. Some of the key physics problems researchers face will be presented next with some examples of neuroscience questions that are addressed in the laboratory.