Method and magnetic resonance apparatus to acquire raw data for image construction with multiple virtual coils

A magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus comprising:

• an MR data acquisition unit, in which a subject is situated, said MR data acquisition unit comprising a radio frequency (RF) system and a gradient coil system;
• an electronic memory;
• a control unit configured to operate the MR data acquisition unit to radiate a first RF pulse with said RF system and to activate multiple bipolar magnetic field gradients with said gradient system, in order to excite nuclear spins in the subject and to generate multiple first gradient echoes, resulting from the excited nuclear spins, respectively at different echo times after radiation of the first RF pulse;
• said control unit being configured to operate the MR data acquisition unit to acquire first gradient echoes respectively in multiple raw data sets and to enter the raw data sets into said electronic memory organized as k-space wherein, in each raw data set, a first line of a respective raw data set is filled with acquired raw data representing the first gradient echoes, with chronologically adjacent gradient echoes that occur after radiation of said first RF pulse being respectively acquired with opposite polarities of said bipolar magnetic field gradients;
• said control unit being configured to operate the MR data acquisition unit to radiate a second RF pulse and to activate multiple bipolar magnetic field gradients to again excite nuclear spins in said subject and to generate multiple second gradient echoes, resulting from the again excited nuclear spins, after radiation of the second RF pulse;
• said control unit being configured to operate the MR data acquisition unit to acquire the multiple second gradient echoes in said multiple raw data sets wherein, in each raw data set, a second line is filled with raw data representing the second gradient echoes, said second line being adjacent said first line in the respective raw data set, and wherein chronologically adjacent gradient echoes that occur after radiation of said second RF pulse are respectively acquired with opposite polarities of said magnetic field gradients;
• said control unit being configured to operate said MR data acquisition unit to activate said multiple bipolar magnetic field gradients for generating said first and second gradient echoes so as to cause, in each of said multiple raw data sets, said first line and said adjacent second line to be filled with said raw data in opposite directions, and
• said control unit being configured to make said multiple raw data sets in said electronic memory available at an output of said control unit as a data file in a form for reconstructing an MR image of said subject from said data file.