An optical setup for electric field measurements in MRI with high spatial resolution

Electric field measurements in the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging environment are important to assess potentially dangerous radio-frequency (RF) heating in the vicinity of metallic structures such as coils, implants or catheters. So far, E-field measurements have been performed with dipole antennas that lag of limited spatial resolution and which are difficult to use in the magnet bore as they interfere with the RF transmit field of the MRI system. In this work an electro-optic sensor is presented that utilizes the Pockels effect to measure the E-field in a clinical MR system with high spatial resolution. This sensor consists of dielectric materials only and thus, it only minimally influences the measured E-field distribution. A 10 m long flexible optical fiber connects the small sensor head to a remote processing unit where the optical signal is transformed into an electrical output signal. Spatially resolved qualitative E-field measurements were performed in a 1.5 T clinical MR system in the vicinity of metallic samples and an active tracking catheter with a resolution of up to 1 mm. The near-field pattern of a resonant U-shaped metallic sample was clearly identified and compared with numerical simulations. A more complex field behavior was found for the tracking catheter where strong E-field enhancements were observed at the distal tip and at its proximal part outside the phantom solution. Due to its sub-mm spatial resolution the optical sensor approach provides detailed insight into the complex and difficult to access field distributions close to implants and metallic structures and has turned out to be promising tool for MRI field and safety inspections.