Method and apparatus for acquiring magnetic resonance data

A magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus, comprising:

• an MR scanner comprising a basic field magnet that generates a constant magnetic field, a gradient coil arrangement, and an RF coil arrangement;
• a control computer configured to operate the MR scanner to cause the RF coil arrangement to radiate excitation pulses and at least two refocusing pulses into a subject situated in the MR scanner;
• said control computer being configured to operate said gradient coil arrangement to apply readout gradients in a readout direction that cause gradient echoes to be produced by nuclei in the subject excited by said excitation pulses;
• said control computer being configured to operate said gradient coil arrangement to apply said gradients so as to produce at least two gradient echoes between two successive refocusing pulses among said at least two refocusing pulses, with a temporal distance between said at least two gradient echoes that produces a predetermined phase shift between a signal originating from nuclei of a first type in the subject and a signal originating from nuclei of a second type in the subject, at times of the respective gradient echoes, and so as to activate said readout gradients in succession, with each readout gradient being asymmetrical and having an individual polarity, with the respective individual polarities alternating in said succession, and to include a readout gradient associated with a first gradient echo, among said at least two gradient echoes, and another readout gradient associated with a last gradient echo, among said at least two gradient echoes;
• said control computer being configured to operate said MR scanner to receive MR signals from said gradient echoes;
• and
• said control computer being configured to make the received MR signals available in electronic form as a data file at an output of said control computer.

A non-transitory, computer-readable data storage medium encoded with programming instructions, said storage medium being loaded into a control computer of a magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus that comprises an MR scanner having a radiofrequency (RF) coil and a gradient coil arrangement, said programming instructions causing said control computer to:

• operate the MR scanner to cause the RF coil to radiate excitation pulses and at least two refocusing pulses into a subject situated in the MR scanner;
• operate said gradient coil arrangement to apply readout gradients in a readout direction so as to produce at least two gradient echoes between two successive refocusing pulses among said at least two refocusing pulses, with a temporal distance between said at least two gradient echoes that produces a predetermined phase shift between a signal originating from nuclei of a first type in the subject and a signal originating from nuclei of a second type in the subject, at times of the respective gradient echoes, and activate said readout gradients in succession, with each readout gradient being asymmetrical and having an individual polarity, with the respective individual polarities alternating in said succession, and to include a readout gradient associated with a first gradient echo, among said at least two gradient echoes, and another readout gradient associated with a last gradient echo, among said at least two gradient echoes;
• operate said MR scanner to receive MR signals from said gradient echoes;
• and
• make the received MR signals available in electronic form as a data file at an output of said control computer.