Applications of Superconductivity in Medical Research and Diagnostics

by Mr Alex I. Braginski (IBN-2, Research Center Jülich)

Thursday 11 Oct 2007, 14:15 → 15:15 Europe/Zurich

AB Auditorium Meyrin (CERN)

The two dominant applications of superconductivity in medicine are: (1) the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in strong magnetic fields, where 1.5 to 3T (7T for research) high-field-homogeneity superconducting magnets are employed, and (2) the passive, non-invasive measurement, mapping and evaluation of extremely weak biomagnetic fields, which originate from various organs in humans and animals. Such fields can be best measured using highly sensitive SQUIDs (Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices) as detectors. This seminar is dedicated to the second area of research and diagnostic applications. The status of methods such as magnetoencephalography (MEG), magnetocardiography (MCG) and liver susceptometry will be described with some emphasis on early detection and imaging of cardiac ailments, which are the number 1 killer in highly-developed Western societies. The promising low-field MRI using SQUID detectors will be also briefly mentioned and speaker's subjective outlook towards the future presented.