Single-shot, B₁-insensitive slice selection with a gradient-modulated adiabatic pulse, BISS-8

An adiabatic pulse has been developed to accomplish uniform slice- selective excitation with a spatially inhomogeneous B₁. This new pulse can generate a uniform, arbitrary flip angle that is determined by four adjustable phase shifts in the pulse. Self-refocused slice selection is achieved by modulating a B₀ gradient in concert with the pulse frequency (or phase) modulation. B₁-compensated, self-refocused slice selection is demonstrated in computer simulations and phantom experiments using a surface transmitter/receiver coil. This adiabatic pulse can provide optimal performance in multislice MRI and localized spectroscopy when transmitting with an inhomogeneous B₁.