Magnetic resonance system and method employing a digital SQUID

A magnetic resonance imaging method comprising:

• detecting a radio-frequency magnetic flux from at least nuclear magnetic resonance signals emitted by an object under examination, with at least one magnetic flux antenna to generate an analog electronic signal representing the radio-frequency magnetic flux from the at least nuclear magnetic resonance signals;
• oversampling the analog electronic signal received from the at least one magnetic flux antenna at a rate of at least 1 giga-samples per second with at least one digital flux detector to produce an oversampled digital datastream modulated in dependence on the analog electronic signal;
• and
• receiving and processing the oversampled digital datastream, to calculate at least one mathematical transform and produce image information representing a magnetic resonance image of the object under examination.

A magnetic resonance imaging system comprising:

• a plurality of magnetic flux antennas, each being configured to couple a radio-frequency magnetic flux from an object under examination to an analog electronic signal representing at least nuclear magnetic resonance signals from the object under examination;
• at least one digital flux detector configured to oversample the analog electronic signals received from the plurality of magnetic flux antennas at a rate of at least 1 giga-samples per second to produce at least one oversampled digital datastream;
• a magnetic field generator configured to generate a time-varying magnetic field which varies in time and space within at least a portion of the object under examination;
• at least one processor configured to control the magnetic field generator, and to receive and process the at least one oversampled digital datastream, to calculate at least one mathematical transform and produce image information representing a magnetic resonance image of the object under examination;
• and
• at least one memory configured to store the image information,
• wherein the at least one digital flux detector comprises a superconductor which is proximate to the magnetic field generator and magnetically shielded from the time-varying magnetic field.