The focus of this thesis lies on the development, and implementation, of parallel transmission (pTx) techniques in magnetic resonance imaging for flip-angle homogenization throughout the human brain at ultra-high field. In order to allow in-vivo demonstrations, a conservative yet viable safety concept is introduced to control the absorbed radiofrequency (RF) power . Subsequently, novel methods for local SAR control and non-selective RF pulse-design are investigated. The impact of these short and energy-efficient waveforms, referred to as kT-points, is first demonstrated in the context of the small-tip-angle domain. Targeting a larger scope of applications, the kT-points design is then generalized to encompass large flip angle excitations and inversions. This concept is applied to one of the most commonly used T1-weighted sequences in neuroimaging. Results thus obtained at 7 Tesla are compared to images acquired with a clinical setup at 3 Tesla, validating the principles of the kT-points method and demonstrating that pTx-enabled ultra-high field systems can also be competitive in the context of T1-weighted imaging. Finally, simplifications in the global design of the pTx-implementation are studied in order to obtain a more cost-effective solution.

L'objectif de cette thèse repose sur le développement et la mise en œuvre des techniques de transmission parallèle (pTx) en Imagerie par Résonance Magnétique pour homogénéiser l’excitation des spins dans le cerveau humain à ultra-haut champ. Afin de permettre des démonstrations in-vivo, un concept de sécurité conservateur mais viable est introduit pour le contrôle de la puissance de la radiofréquence (RF) transmise. Par la suite, de nouvelles méthodes de minimisation du Taux d’Absorption Spécifique local et de conception d’impulsions RF non-sélectives sont investiguées. L’impact de ces impulsions courtes et relativement peu énergétiques, appelées « kT-points », est d'abord démontré dans l’approximation des petits angles de bascule de l’aimantation. Pour cibler un éventail d’applications plus large, la conception de type kT-points est ensuite généralisée en englobant les excitations à grand angle de bascule et les inversions. Cette méthode est appliquée à l'une des séquences pondérées en T1 les plus couramment utilisées en neuro-imagerie. Les résultats ainsi obtenus à 7 Tesla sont comparés à des images acquises avec une configuration clinique à 3 Tesla. Les principes de la méthode sont ainsi validés et démonstration est faite que la transmission parallèle permet aux systèmes à très haut champ d’être aussi compétitifs en imagerie pondérée en T1. Enfin, des simplifications dans la conception globale de la pTx sont étudiées pour un meilleur rapport coût-efficacité des solutions proposées. / The focus of this thesis lies on the development, and implementation, of parallel transmission (pTx) techniques in magnetic resonance imaging for flip-angle homogenization throughout the human brain at ultra-high field. In order to allow in-vivo demonstrations, a conservative yet viable safety concept is introduced to control the absorbed radiofrequency (RF) power . Subsequently, novel methods for local SAR control and non-selective RF pulse-design are investigated. The impact of these short and energy-efficient waveforms, referred to as kT-points, is first demonstrated in the context of the small-tip-angle domain. Targeting a larger scope of applications, the kT-points design is then generalized to encompass large flip angle excitations and inversions. This concept is applied to one of the most commonly used T1-weighted sequences in neuroimaging. Results thus obtained at 7 Tesla are compared to images acquired with a clinical setup at 3 Tesla, validating the principles of the kT-points method and demonstrating that pTx-enabled ultra-high field systems can also be competitive in the context of T1-weighted imaging. Finally, simplifications in the global design of the pTx-implementation are studied in order to obtain a more cost-effective solution.