Compact Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

The proposed activities focus on the development of an innovative compact high-resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) device- Specifically, this NMR device will be capable of rural and autonomous operation and become the first lab to field survey instrument for high-resolution characterization of biological processes in living organisms- The high-resolution NMR will feature advanced superconductors that are liquid nitrogen cooled and support a design that is compact, personnel portable, field operable, non- invasive, non-hazardous, rugged, reliable, and possessing a bore that orients to the subject’s position- To date, no high-resolution NMR offers any one of these design characteristics- Portable, mobile NMRs have limited resolution depth because they use conventional electromagnets and permanent magnets- No other non-invasive technology currently offers high-resolution in uncontrolled environments including remote field locations- In the lab, existing superconductor-based high-resolution NMRs are dependent upon liquid helium for cooling and they are large and expensive to procure, operate, and maintain- This proposed project advances NMR in the given list of new capabilities- Substituting a superconducting (SC) magnet into the NMR to provide the stable magnetic field yields a many time increase in measurement resolution- Selection of a high temperature SC (HTS) improves commercialization by accommodating operation with liquid nitrogen refrigeration- The greatest technical challenge in this proposal is the creation of a portable HTS magnet- The associated research objectives are well within the direct experience of the assembled team- With world class magnetics experience and magnet fabrication potential supported by both the US National Science Foundation and US Department of Energy funded advanced SC winding tool, the capability exists in house to analyze and create the magnet, cryostat, and controls-