University of Missouri System
Grant: $73,393 - National Science Foundation - Jul. 29, 2009
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Award Description: The complete control of spin dynamics is the primary goal of over 30 years of research into pulse sequence development for NMR, since pulse performance is such a crucial determinant of spectral information. We have evolved a unique and powerful tool set for achieving this control. Optimal control theory will be employed as a comprehensive methodology to further transform the already formidable capabilities of magnetic resonance spectroscopy for research. The applications developed so far in our funded NSF research have been truly revolutionary. The new proposal will build on this expertise, extending our pulse capabilities to address (i) the extreme RF inhomogeneity seen in toroid cavity probes; and (ii) the extreme bandwidths required in electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Why is this important? Intellectual Merit: The two major proposal objectives above represent collaborations where our unique capabilities in pulse design will have a transformative impact: (i) our pulses will provide exciting new capabilities for the field of toroid cavity NMR, fully enabling its unique potential for high pressure and high temperature studies of in-situ chemical reactions and micrometer-scale chemical-shift imaging; and (ii) our pioneering pulses will revolutionize the field of EPR, enabling true Fourier Transform EPR and its use for structural and conformational studies. At present, there is no other methodology that addresses so completely the wealth of vital and interesting problems in pulse design, spanning the fields of nuclear and electron magnetic resonance. Although optimal control is one of the most exciting frontiers in atomic, molecular, and optical physics, most of these fields are limited by current technology to purely theoretical posssibilites. By constrast, NMR is a singular example where such optimal control results are and have been readily implemented and are used in practical experimental applications. We are poised to exploit our advantage and extend these applications to fields well beyond traditional NMR. The project scientist has a long history of funded research and successful completion of large projects, which augurs well for the success of this revolutionary program. Broader Impacts: This research is truly interdisciplinary in nature, involving national and international collaboration spanning the fields of chemistry, physics, materials science, and applied mathematics. It will provide thesis projects for graduate students at two different schools, Wright State and Missouri S&T, as well as junior and senior projects for physics, chemistry, and engineer- ing majors in addition to postdoctoral training. Student participation in seminars and national scientific meetings to present research results also provides valuable educational experience com- municating to a larger audience and is one component of wider dissemination of our results through scientific meetings, colloquia, and publication in research journals. It can play a vital role as a 'vir- tual' research infrastructure supporting a fundamental new focus at Wright State (WSU) aimed at increasing the number of STEM graduates through retention. The excitement of discovery that energizes scientific research is a crucial experience for students if they are to truly be inspired to continue STEM studies. Our research will provide opportunities for student projects that support these goals of a NSF-STEP grant recently awarded to WSU. Supporting graduate and undergrad- uate research as in the PI's previous NSF grant will thus also satisfy the mandate of the STEP grant and state/national STEM programs. The research also strengthens the WSU computational physics curriculum. The optimal control algorithms are implemented on parallel processors both at the Ohio Supercomputing Center and WSU. The utility of optimal control theory and parallel computing extends far beyond magnetic resonance. A physics education coupled with comp
Project Description: Purpose of this project is to employ optimal control theory, a mathematical optimization methodology, to improve and extend the capabilities of toroid cavity detectors in magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Financial support for this project started September 1, 2009. During this short time (30 days) of support, currently available instrumentation for this project was inspected and set up for future experimentation. Some preliminary experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of existing hardware, and a first strategic planning meeting with the research group of Dr. Thomas Skinner, the collaboration partner at Wright State University (Dayton, OH), has been conducted. It is expected that several optimized pulse sequences will be tested and evaluated in the next quarterly period.
Jobs Summary: Graduate Research Assistantship retained at 0.21 FTE. (Total jobs reported: 0)
Project Status: Less Than 50% Completed
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