The Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Program at ORNL

The ORNL High Flux Isotope Reactor’s IMAGINE instrument facilitates a wide array of biological structure and function studies. Notably, the neutron scattering experiments performed with this single-crystal diffractometer provide atomic-resolution insights into macromolecular protein crystals structure. The sensitivity of neutron macromolecular crystallography can be significantly enhanced by leveraging the spin dependence of the neutron scattering cross section of hydrogen. At ORNL, a proof-of-concept system employing Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) of samples has demonstrated a significant improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio of neutron diffraction data. Current efforts are focused on developing: 1) a neutron polarizer with spin flipper beamline infrastructure; 2) a next-generation SiPM-based neutron detector system; and 3) a DNP apparatus consisting of a 5T Helmholtz magnet and a dry 1K 4He refrigerator. The progress and future prospects of constructing a new DNP-enhanced beamline will be presented.