Larmor frequency shift from magnetized cylinders with arbitrary orientation distribution

The magnetic susceptibility of tissue can provide valuable information about its chemical composition and microstructural organization. However, the relation between the magnetic microstructure and the measurable Larmor frequency shift is understood only for a few idealized cases. Here we analyze the microstructure formed by magnetized, NMR-invisible infinite cylinders suspended in an NMR-reporting fluid. Through simulations, we scrutinize various geometries of mesoscopic Lorentz cavities and inclusions, and show that the cavity size should be approximately one order of magnitude larger than the width of the inclusions. We also analytically derive the Larmor frequency shift for a population of cylinders with arbitrary orientation dispersion and show that it is determined by the l=2$$ l=2 $$ Laplace expansion coefficients p2m$$ {p}_{2m} $$ of the cylinders' orientation distribution function. Our work underscores the need to account for microstructural organization when estimating magnetic tissue properties.

Automated summary

The magnetic susceptibility of tissue provides information about its chemical composition and microstructural organization, but the relationship between magnetic microstructure and the measurable Larmor frequency shift is only understood for a few idealized cases. In this study, we analyzed the microstructure formed by magnetized, NMR-invisible infinite cylinders in an NMR-reporting fluid. We examined various geometries of mesoscopic Lorentz cavities and inclusions through simulations, and found that the cavity size should be approximately one order of magnitude larger than the width of the inclusions. We also derived the Larmor frequency shift for a population of cylinders with arbitrary orientation dispersion and found that it depends on the Laplace expansion coefficients p2m of the cylinders' orientation distribution function. Our work emphasizes the importance of considering microstructural organization when estimating magnetic tissue properties.