A coil assembly includes: a radio frequency (RF) coil operable to be placed over a portion of a subject; a quarter-wave transformer coupled to the RF coil and configured to transform a characteristic impedance of the RF coil; and a diode placed behind the quarter-wave transformer and away from the RF coil, wherein the diode is operable to: (i) when the diode is forward biased, the diode turns the quarter-wave transformer into an open circuit such that the power amplifier drives the RF coil with sufficient electrical power for the RF coil to transmit an RF pulse into the portion of the subject; and (ii) when the diode is provided zero or revers bias, the diode turns the quarter-wave transformer into a short circuit such that the RF coil is detuned from a Lamor frequency of nuclei of interest immersed in the main magnet.