Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an extraordinary tool, but it has
important limitations. For example, the spatial resolution of this technique is
generally not good enough for breast imaging.
Of course, the spatial resolution can be improved with higher-strength fields. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration places strict limits on the field strengths that can be used on humans because of the risks of hotspots being generated in the body. So various groups are looking at ways to improve spatial resolution without increasing magnetic field strengths.
Which is how we come to the work of Manuel Freire at the University of Seville in Spain. He and some amigos have found an interesting way to boost the resolution of an MRI device: they use a lens to focus radio-frequency magnetic fields.
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