Enrollment year
2016/2017
Academic discipline
FIS/07 (APPLIED PHYSICS (CULTURAL HERITAGE, ENVIRONMENT, BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE))
Department
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS
Curriculum
Fisica biosanitaria
Period
1st semester (03/10/2016 - 20/01/2017)
Lesson hours
48 lesson hours
Language
Italian, English-friendly: textbook and other teaching material in English, exam in English upon request, lectures in English possible upon request
Prerequisites
Fundamental aspects of electromagnetism, statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics.
Learning outcomes
Learning of the basis aspects of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, of the dynamical nuclear polarization, the main aspects of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and of the techniques used for the image reconstruction.
Course contents
The course starts with the description of the magnetic resonance phenomenon, of the Bloch equations, of the NMR spectrum and its connection to the free induction decay signal. Then the effects of nuclear dipolar interaction on the spectra are addressed, as well as the indirect dipolar J-coupling and the chemical shift. The modifications of the NMR spectra induced by the electric quadrupole interaction and by the electron-nucleus hyperfine coupling are presented. Particular emphasis will be given to the effects of the dynamics on the spectra, on the echo signal and on the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation. Double resonance experiments, hyperpolarization techniques and the principles of two- dimensional NMR will also be introduced. The second part of the course deals with the Magnetic Resonance Imaging: one-dimensional imaging, the k-space, the gradient-echo, three-dimensional imaging by means of space, phase and frequency encoding. Then the nuclear density, T1 and T2 weighted images will be presented, along with 2D and 3D MRI sequences. Different techniques for image reconstruction will be addressed: the continuous and discrete Fourier transform, sampling and aliasing, projection and backprojection image reconstruction, Radon transform and M-filtering, the X-ray case. Finally diffusion weighted images will be described, the magnetic properties of tissues, the BOLD technique, functional MRI, fast acquisition techniques and the paramagnetic and superparamagnetic contrast agents.
Reccomended or required readings
E.M. Haacke, R.W. Brown, M.R. Thompson, R. Venkatesan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging – Physical Principles and Sequence Design – ed.Wiley-Liss
C.P.Slichter, Principles of Magnetic Resonance (Springer Series in Solid State Physics, 3rd edition)
Assessment methods
Oral examination
Further information
Oral examination
Sustainable development goals - Agenda 2030
Università di Pavia - Offerta formativa