System and method for noise reduction in magnetic resonance imaging

A magnetic resonance imaging processing method, comprising:

• receiving magnetic resonance data as at least two signals, derived from at least two antennas having different orientations with respect to a radio frequency magnetic field from an imaging region, representing a vector sum of a phase coherent narrowband oscillating signal of interest which is predominantly circularly polarized, and a broadband interfering signal from a current dipole which comprises at least one linearly polarized component having at least one component within the narrow band of the signal of interest, projected in at least two directions;
• digitally correlating portions of the broadband interfering signal from the current dipole outside the narrow band of the signal of interest with the at least one component within the narrow band of the signal of interest to generate a time-correlated model of the broadband interfering signal from the current dipole;
• processing the received magnetic resonance data as the at least two signals based on at least the time-correlated model of the broadband interfering signal from the current dipole, to separate the signal of interest, from the broadband interfering signal from the current dipole, based on a spatial difference therebetween, to produce a reduced interference signal having a reduced interference of the broadband interfering signal from the current dipole with the signal of interest;
• and
• storing the reduced interference signal in a memory,
• wherein the signal of interest is predominantly circularly polarized, and the broadband interfering signal from the current dipole comprises at least one linearly polarized component, further comprising:
• receiving from the at least two antennas at least two signals representing a respective vector sum of the signal of interest and the broadband interfering signal from the current dipole, projected in at least two directions;
• and
• analyzing the at least two received signals, to separate out the signal of interest from the broadband interfering signal from the current dipole based on a spatial difference therebetween.

A method of enhancing detection of a signal of interest in a magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising:

• receiving magnetic resonance vector information from at least two antennas having different orientations with respect to a radio frequency magnetic field from an imaging region, representing a phase coherent signal of interest within a band, and an interference signal overlapping the band from a current dipole;
• digitally correlating portions of the interference signal within the band with at least one component of the interference signal outside the band;
• selectively estimating a vector direction of the interference signal;
• and
• digitally subtracting the interference signal within the band based on at least the estimated vector direction and the correlation of the portions of the interference signal within the band with at least one component of the interference signal outside the band, from the received magnetic resonance vector information, to generate a filtered signal,
• wherein the signal of interest is substantially circularly polarized, the interfering signal overlapping the band from the current dipole is substantially linearly polarized, and the at least two antennas have a differential response pattern to circularly polarized and linearly polarized radio frequency magnetic fields within the band from the imaging region.