Time-dependent electromagnetic fields are significantly attenuated by conducting media (including the human body); the skin depth gives a measure of the average depth of penetration of the RF field.
A high power
frequency tunable RF source can be rapidly switched on and off. This produces a large RF field perpendicular to the
magnetic field. This RF field is focused by the
body coil. The RF source and coils must be tunable in both
frequency and impedance to
'match the impedance' of the patient's body.