Theoretical performance of a metamaterial-inspired antenna for MRI

Metamaterial-inspired antennas offer the possibility to improve the RF coil performance to acquire magnetic resonance images at high field. Transmission line (TL) theory used to study composite right/left hand structures, together with Mansfield's formalism for the high frequency cavity resonator, were used to derive and expression for the quality factor, Q of a metamaterial-inspired cyclic antenna. A simple analytical formula was computed as a function of the number of resonator and the permittivity and permeability. These results offer theoretical guidelines to develop metamaterial-inspired antennas with an specific performance. The experimental evidence will determine the validity of this theory.