180-DEGREES REFOCUSING PULSES WHICH ARE INSENSITIVE TO STATIC AND RADIOFREQUENCY FIELD INHOMOGENEITY

Using simulated annealing, 180° composite pulses which are insensitive to a wide range of B0 and B1 variation have been designed. The pulses give low phase dispersion and are suitable for spin refocusing. Constraint on integrated power has been incorporated in the optimization, leading to more practical pulse designs. Extensive evaluation, experimental confirmation, and comparison with previous pulse designs demonstrate the superior performance of the pulses presented in this work. © 1992.