Quantum diagnosis

Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines are excellent props in TV medical dramas, and Peter While joins us to explain the physics behind MRI. Yes it's quantum! Peter is an MR physicist working at a hospital in Trondheim (Norway) with a background spanning hardware design, clinical practice, and now AI-assisted image reconstruction. He walks us through what it's actually like to get an MRI scan, and how the whole process comes down to nudging the quantum spin of hydrogen atoms in your own body — meaning that anyone who's had an MRI has, in a strange sense, briefly been a sort of quantum computer. The technique involves no ionizing radiation at all, but the enormous magnetic fields do occasionally lead to other eye-watering safety incidents. Have you ever wondered about using medical equipment as a musical instrument? Subscribe and share with your friends!