Quadrature surface coil array

A surface coil array comprising:

• at least four adjacent surface coils extending in a first direction,
• a first of said four surface coils being a single loop surface coil,
• a second and third surface coil being two-loop surface coils said loops support only a single current mode to inhibit cross-coupling including next nearest neighbor cross-coupling,
• said fourth surface coil being a single loop surface coil, and
• all of said surface coils overlapping the adjacent surface coil in said first direction to inhibit nearest neighbor cross-coupling.

A quadrature surface coil arrangment for use in magnetic resonance (MR) systems, said surface coil arrangement comprising:

• a first coil for generating a circular magnetic field responsive to currents generated in the first coil means by free induction decay (FID) signals in the MR system,
• a second coil proximate to said first coil,
• said first coil extending beyond said second coil in a first direction and said second coil extending beyond said first coil in a second direction orthogonal to said first direction,
• said second coil producing a magnetic field lying normal to the plane of the second coil at the center of the second coil responsive to FID signals in the MR system, and
• said first coil being a cross-coupling inhibiting coil comprising a first loop and a second loop, and
• means for electrically coupling said first and second loop in series to inhibit cross-coupling between the first loop and the second loop.