Patent ID: 7474098

Claim:
A coil array for use in magnetic resonance experiments on a sample to be tested comprising: a plurality of coil elements tuned to a common frequency for simultaneous parallel reception of signals from a sample to be tested or alternatively in transmission for excitation of a sample to be tested; the coil elements including a first and a second coil elements each having coil dimensions selected and arranged to provide for the coil elements a predetermined depth from the coil of optimum operation within the sample to be tested; the first and second coil elements being placed side by side along a longitudinal direction so as to define, at a line transverse to the longitudinal direction, a rear edge of the first coil which is adjacent to a front edge of the second coil with the front edge of the second coil being separate from the rear edge of the first coil; the coil elements including a third coil element having a first coil section, a second coil section and a third coil section arranged such that: the first coil section is arranged at a location bridging the transverse line; the second coil section is arranged at a side of the first coil section remote from said transverse line and the third coil section is arranged at a side of the first coil section remote from said transverse line and opposite to said second coil section; the first coil section has coil dimensions selected and arranged to provide for the first coil section a depth from the coil of optimum operation within the sample to be tested substantially equal to the predetermined optimum depth of the first and second coil elements; the second and third coil sections are twisted relative to the first coil section and arranged such that the current therein rotates in direction opposite to that of the first coil section; the third coil element being dimensioned and arranged such that it is de-coupled from the first and second coil elements.