Two-dimensional ultrashort echo time imaging using a spiral trajectory

Tissues with very short transverse relaxation time (T2) cannot be detected using conventional magnetic resonance (MR) sequences due to the rapid decay of excited MR signals. In this work, a multiecho sequence employing half-pulse excitation and spiral sampling was developed for ultrashort echo time (UTE) imaging of tissues with short T2. Spiral readout gradients were measured and precompensated to reduce gradient distortions due to eddy currents and gradient anisotropy. The effects of spatial blurring due to fast signal decay were investigated experimentally through spiral UTE (SUTE) imaging of rubber bands with different spiral sampling duration. The unwanted long T2 signals were suppressed through the use of an inversion pulse and nulling, and/or subtraction of a later echo image from the initial one. This technique has been applied to imaging of the short T2 components in brain white matter, knee cartilage, bone and carotid vessel wall of normal volunteers at 1.5 T. Preliminary results show high spatial resolution and excellent image contrast for a variety of short T2 tissues in the human body under a relatively short scan time. A quantitative comparison was also made between radial UTE and SUTE in terms of signal-to-noise ratio efficiency.     

Read and write processes, and head technology for perpendicular recording

In this paper, we present a review of the write and read processes in perpendicular magnetic recording. We also discuss their impact, based on recording physics aspects, on design considerations for writers and readers. For the write process, we discuss fundamental write-ability limitations as well as possible paths to ultra-high areal density perpendicular recording. The impacts of different medium designs, geometrical scaling, and the breakdown of scaling, both in terms of write-ability and transition curvature, are shown based on different modeling techniques, including analytical formulas, finite element modeling (FEM), and micromagnetic simulations. Basic design rules as well as alternative designs that enable high areal density are briefly explained. For the read-back process, the relation between reader signal to noise ratio (SNR) and resistance, as well as reader resistance shunt and spacing loss, are discussed. Finally, we use a simple example to illustrate, both from a write as well as a read-back perspective, the complicated nature of perpendicular recording systems, and how different medium designs impact recording head technology for ultra high density perpendicular recording.     

Improvement of magnetic intergranular isolation and evaluation of read/write characteristics on SmCo5 perpendicular magnetic thin films

SmCo₅ alloy is a promising candidate for ultra-high-density perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) media because of its high uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy K_u of more than 1.1×10⁸ erg/cm³. Previously, we successfully achieved high K_u in a sputter-deposited SmCo₅ thin film by introducing a Cu/Ti dual underlayer. However, in order to apply the SmCo₅ films to practical PMR media, it is necessary to decrease medium noise. A granulated magnetic film comprising of small and magnetically decoupled grains is effective in reducing the medium noise. In this paper, we have proposed a new granular film that is fabricated by partial thermodiffusion of Cu between the Sm-Co continuous layer and the Cu underlayer, which is granulated using compositional segregation caused by the addition of Ta₂O₅. We have analyzed the magnetic properties, magnetic domain size, and magnetization reversal process of the proposed SmCo₅ film. The magnetic domain size decreased and the magnetization reversal process changed from the magnetic-wall-motion mode to a coherent rotation mode to some extent on isolation of magnetic grains. The read/write characteristics of granulated SmCo₅ double-layered media were also evaluated. The medium noise decreased and the signal-to-noise ratio increased for the granulated double-layered (PMR) medium.     

Characterization of transition shifts in perpendicular magnetic recording using 3D FEM

Transition shift can create serious timing problems for high density recording environments. However, it is possible to use techniques such as write precompensation to offset the timing error introduced if the magnitude and the behaviour of the transition shift are properly understood. This paper introduces a 3D finite element method (FEM) to analyse the transition shift in perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) quantitatively, allowing the combinational effects of the transition shifts from non-linear transition shift (NLTS), HTS, and neighbourhood-induced transition shift (NITS) to be examined. The consideration of all contributing factors to the final written transition position is important in determining the precompensation scheme of magnetic data recording, and 3D FEM can facilitate such quantitative analysis.     

二元振幅型面板用于光束空间整形

为了提高高功率激光系统的整体效率和充分利用光能,需要对前端注入的高斯光束进行空间整形,实现驱动器终端激光的均匀化输出.采用振幅型二元面板对激光光束进行空间强度整形,利用误差扩散法进行了理论设计,数值摸拟了整形效果,同时讨论了面板加工误差以及空间滤波器的小孔大小等因素带来的影响.根据理论设计,分别加工了反高斯透射率分布和抛物线透射率分布的二元面板,并进行了整形实验,实现了各自的整形功能,并做了误差分析.实验让明二元面板能对激光光束的空间强度分布实现了精确的整形.