High-speed, high-memory NMR spectrometer and hyperpolarizer

Abstract

We report on the development of a novel nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer, incorporating a high-speed, commercially available arbitrary waveform transceiver (AWT) – Tabor Proteus P9484M. The spectrometer is optimized for integrated electron-nuclear spin control and dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) and leverages the AWT’s rapid sampling rate (9 Gs/s), significant memory capacity (16 GB), and efficient data transfer capabilities (6 Gs/s). These features enable effective NMR transmit–receive operations and electron control for DNP. In particular, the high sampling rates permit NMR pulse synthesis and signal reception directly at the Larmor frequency up to $\sim$2.7 GHz. This can yield NMR signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvements by obviating the need for signal heterodyning. Additionally, the spectrometer features on-board, phase-sensitive detection, enabled by numerically controlled oscillators (NCO); and windowed acquisition can be carried out over extended periods and across millions of pulses, enabling the interrogation of nuclear spin dynamics directly in the rotating frame. The device’s architecture opens up new avenues for NMR pulse control and DNP, including closed-loop feedback control, electron decoupling, 3D spin tracking, and potential applications in quantum sensing.