The coil of the RF transmitter, inside the MR imager is used in excitation of the spins. Also called transmit-only coil it is used to create the B1 field. As a radio frequency generator send this coil bursts of RF pulses. These pulses serve to disturb the spins in the patient.

The xy component of the net magnetization vector at right angles to the main magnetic field. The precession of the transverse magnetization at the Larmor frequency is responsible for the detectable MRI signal. In the absence of externally applied RF energy, the transverse magnetization will decay to zero with a characteristic time constant of T2, or more strictly T2*.

The T2 time constant, which determines the rate at which excited protons reach equilibrium, or go out of phase with each other. A measure of the time taken for spinning protons to lose phase coherence among the nuclei spinning perpendicular to the main field due to interaction between spins, resulting in a reduction in the transverse magnetization. The transverse magnetization value will drop from maximum to a value of about 37% of its original value in a time of T2.

A saturation pulse, which moves from one spatial location to another for each RF pulse excitation or each MR slice acquired.

Generation of an electrical pulse, upon detection of a physiological signal, which can be used to initiate a synchronized data-acquisition pulse sequence.