Overcoming system imperfections using end-to-end MR sequence design.

MRI systems are usually engineered to give 'ideal' performance, and acquisition methods are generally developed using this assumption. This work proposes an alternative sequence learning framework that includes a model of realistic scanner performance, allowing acquisition sequences to be designed to directly account for system imperfections. In this proof-of-concept demonstration we designed pulse sequences to account for eddy current perturbations with different realistic time constants, while also respecting hardware limits. The flexibility of this approach could be used to design new types of pulse sequence to operate on lower performance, lower cost hardware in future.