Magnetic resonance imaging by synergistic diffusion-diffraction patterns

Phys Rev Lett. 2012 Feb 3;108(5):058103. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.058103. Epub 2012 Jan 31.

Abstract

Inferring on the geometry of an object from its frequency spectrum is highly appealing since the object could then be imaged noninvasively or from a distance (as famously put by Kac, "can one hear the shape of a drum?"). In nuclear magnetic resonance of porous systems, the shape of the drum is represented by the pore density function that bears all the information on the collective pore microstructure. So far, conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could only detect the pore autocorrelation function, which inherently obscures fine details on the pore structure. Here, for the first time, we report on a unique imaging mechanism arising from synergistic diffusion-diffractions that directly yields the pore density function. This mechanism offers substantially higher spatial resolution compared to conventional MRI while retaining all fine details on the collective pore morphology. Thus, using these unique synergistic diffusion-diffractions, the "shape of the drum" can be inferred.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Capillaries / anatomy & histology
  • Diffusion
  • Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  • Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Porosity