A 5 Telsa imaging magnet for imaging laboratory animals

A report is presented on the construction of the first of a series of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging magnets for laboratory animals. The magnet has a 33-cm warm bore with a design central induction of 5.5 T without active shielding and 5.0 T with active shielding. The magnet will be used for both imaging and spectroscopy of living animals. The active shield system is designed so that the 5-G line is less than 3 m from the magnet center when the magnet operates at design field. This permits the magnet to be used within an experimental space commonly available within a university building