The most serious implications of the initial findings at 8 Tesla are related to our fundamental understanding of thermodynamics and the thermal nature of liquids in particular. Prior to the successful operation of this scanner, the MRI community had predicted that RF power must increase with the square of the operational frequency. Without realizing it, they had theorized Rayleigh-Jeans behavior (see Blackbody Radiation section) for the MRI scanners of the world. As such, when the scanner first came on line, it was uncertain that any useful results could be obtained at such high field. Indeed, the amount of RF power required might well have been dangerous for our patients. However, after the measurements of the RF Power requirements in the first volunteer (the author), it became evident that high RF power requirements would not become the hallmark of UHFMRI. Indeed, prior to 1998, it had been predicted by some that only low flip angle image acquisition methods would ever be useful at 8 Tesla. However, since the system came on line, many of the most RF power intensive sequences (Spin Echo, MDEFT and RARE) have been successfully implemented at 8 Tesla.
This phenomenal turn of fortune has caused the author to re-examine his understanding of thermal processes and the laws of thermodynamics in general. This has propelled him into the study of Planck's work, the laws of thermal radiation, heat transfer, the sun, the temperature of the universe and the thermal nature of liquids. Yet, prior to 1998, he had no interest what so ever in these areas of science. Within a few days of the first RF power measurements at 8 Tesla however, all of this had changed. The thermal nature of MRI and of liquids became a pre-eminent concern.