A high-pass two-dimensional ladder network has been described for high-field MRI and credential applications. The next-to-highest eigenvalue of the network corresponds to a normal mode giving rise to B.sub.1 fields with good spatial homogeneity above the resonator plane. Other eigenvalues may also be used for specific imaging applications. In its most basic form, the ladder network is a collection of inductively coupled resonators where each element of the array is represented by at least one conducting strip having a self-inductance L, joined by a capacitor C at one or more points along each resonator. In the strong coupling limit of the inductively coupled high-pass two-dimensional ladder network resonator array, the array produces a high-frequency resonant mode that can be used to generate the traditional quadrature B.sub.1 field used in magnetic resonance imaging, and in the limit of weak or zero coupling reduces to a phased array suitable for parallel imaging applications.