- By:
- Fu, Sichao ; Li, Fankang ; Pierce, Joshua J; Giuliano, Dominic R; Bolton, Justin T; Leiner, Jonathan C; Myles, Dean A; Jiang, Chenyang
- Journal Name:
- Review of Scientific Instruments
- Page Number:
- 73301
- Volume:
- 97
- Issue Number:
- 7
- Publication Date:
- July 7, 2026
- View DOI Listing:
- https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0328154
Abstract
The Laue neutron macromolecular crystallography beamline IMAGINE at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) is undergoing a major upgrade to incorporate the Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) technique. Upon completion, the new IMGAINE-X instrument is expected to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of the diffraction data by an order of magnitude. To take full advantage of the benefits of DNP, both a highly polarized neutron beam and a high-efficiency neutron spin flipper are required. We have developed a compact cryogenic spin flipper utilizing the Meissner effect in high-Tc YBCO superconducting films. The flipper has been successfully tested at two HFIR neutron development beamlines, Larmor and Poplar, with neutron wavelengths of 5.3 Å and 2.4 Å respectively. At Larmor a flipping efficiency of 0.995 ± 0.004 was achieved for 5.3 Å neutrons, and at Poplar up to 0.9987 ± 0.0004 was obtained for 2.4 Å neutrons. Both tests demonstrated the flipper’s excellent performance and suitability for integration into IMAGINE-X.
