Very low field magnetic resonance imaging with spintronic sensors.

A very low field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) setup based on magnetoresistive-superconducting mixed sensors is presented. A flux transformer is used to achieve coupling between the sample to image and the mixed sensor. The novel detector was implemented in a spin echo MRI experiment, exposing the mixed sensor to RF pulses without use of any RF switch. The performance of the novel detector is given in terms of signal-to-noise ratio and is compared with classical tuned coils.