Fourier transforms

Phase map of pineapple slice under

read-out gradient, with phase-encode

• Fourier transforms
– 1D: square wave
– 2D: kx and ky
• Spatial encoding with
gradients
• Common artifacts

- 0 
Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 1
 Key terms
• K-space (with units of inverse length)
• Phase encode vs. read-out direction (k-space axes)
– Read-out = frequency encode
• FLASH vs. EPI (types of pulse sequences, loosely speaking)

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 2

 Fourier composition of square wave (v2)

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 3

 Fourier (de)composition of a square wave
Fundamental frequency:

Fundamental + 1st harmonic:

Fundamental + 2 harmonics:

Fundamental + 3 harmonics:

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 4

 Fourier (de)composition of a square wave

16s

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 5

 2D Fourier transform

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 6

 original image filtered with gaussian filter filtered with hard filter

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 7

 Fourier relationships
• Big step size in one domain = small FOV in the other
• Large extent (FOV) in one domain = small step size in the
other
• Multiplication in one domain = convolution in the other
• Symmetry in one domain = no imaginary part in the other

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 8

 FLASH.m accidentally simulates an off-center
k-space

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 9

 Good, clean k-space

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 10

 K-space with small error near center

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 11

 K-space with small error farther out

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 12

 K-space with spike

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 13

 Pulse sequence diagram: 2D FLASH
Nrep = resolution, phase-
Flip angle ~ 7 deg. encode direction
RF K-space data

GSS

PE table increments
each repetition
GPE
TE ~ 5ms
GRO

DAC N = res., read-out

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 14


Immediately after
excitation, all the spins
in a sample are in phase
- 0 
t = 0 s
Psy 8960, Fall ‘06
Gradient echo
When a gradient is The phase depends on
applied, the spins begin both space and time
to pick up a phase (and gradient strength)
difference G = 5.1kHz/cm
G = 12mT/m
B f
x x
t = 20 s t = 160 s
Fourier transforms 15
 Gradient echo
- 0 
B
G = -12mT/m
Applying a gradient in
the opposite direction x
reverses this process

t = 160 s t = 300 s t = 320 s

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 16

 Applying a gradient produces a periodic
spin phase pattern

GRO

Movies aren’t linked. Similar

movies can be generated by
uncommenting the “imagesc …”
line in FLASH.m, or the originals
can be found at
http://vision.psych.umn.edu/~cao
lman/courses/Spring2006/Lectur
es/Lecture7
.zip

- 0  Magnitude of signal in RF coil

Real part of signal in RF coil
Imaginary component of signal in RF coil

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 17

 The read-out signal is the 1D FFT of the
sample

GRO

- 0  Magnitude of signal in RF coil

Real part of signal in RF coil
Imaginary component of signal in RF coil

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 18

 Applying simultaneous gradients rotates
the coordinate system

GRO

GPE

- 0 
Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 19
 Phase encoding allows independent
spatial frequency encoding on 2 axes

PE

PE gradient imposes Read gradient creates phase evolution

phase pattern on one axis while one line of k-space is acquired
GPE

GRO
RO

Read "refocusing" gradient

rewinds phase pattern on
another axis

- 0 
Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 20
 Phase encoding allows independent
spatial frequency encoding on 2 axes

PE

PE gradient imposes Read gradient creates phase evolution

phase pattern on one axis while one line of k-space is acquired
GPE

GRO
RO

Read "refocusing" gradient

rewinds phase pattern on
another axis

- 0 
Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 21
 Navigating k-space
Nrep = resolution, phase-
Flip angle ~ 7 deg. encode direction
RF K-space data

GSS

PE table increments
each repetition
GPE
TE ~ 5ms
GRO

DAC N = res., read-out

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 22

 Pulse sequence diagrams: FLASH & EPI
Nrep = 64 Nrep = 32

Flip angle ~ 7 deg. Flip angle ~ 60 deg.

RF

GSS

PE table increments
each repetition
GPE
TE ~ 5ms TE ~ 30ms
GRO

DAC N = res., read-out 64 pts 64 pts

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 23

 K-space trajectories: FLASH & EPI

FLASH (TE ~ 5 ms) EPI (TE ~ 30 ms)

excitation excitation
Read and phase Read and phase
pre-encode pre-encode
(refocusing) (refocusing)

Read-out Phase
Read-out blip

TE: time between excitation and acquisition of DC data point

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 24
 K-space trajectories: FLASH

FLASH (TE ~ 5 ms) Flip angle ~ 7 deg.

RF

excitation GSS
Read and phase
pre-encode PE table increments
(refocusing)
each repetition
GPE
TE ~ 5ms
Read-out
GRO

DAC N = res., read-out

Psy 8960, Fall ‘06 Fourier transforms 25