Improved encoding pulses for Bloch-Siegert B1+ mapping

► A new family of short RF pulses for Bloch-Siegert (BS) |B1+| mapping is introduced. ► The pulses are shown to produce larger BS phase shifts than pulse currently utilized. ► They produce lower on-resonance excitation than pulses currently utilized. ► They result in improved |B1+| accuracy in areas with large B0 field inhomogeneities. ► Pulses result in lower SAR in areas with large B0 field inhomogeneities.