High-density, large production rates of highly nuclear-spin-polarized atoms and molecules have important applications, ranging from enhancing
nuclear fusion reactions (helping nuclear fusion reactors be more efficient and more viable), making polarized particle beams for particle collider experiments, to
enhancing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals, extending this widespread technique to new domains (such as at surfaces) and improving time resolution.
However, conventional methods cannot produce the necessary quantities and densities of polarized atoms and molecules for the above applications. In recent years,
my group has developed two novel methods for the production of spin-polarized atoms and molecules, based on: (1) the UV photodissociation of hydrogen halides,
which produces high-density spin-polarized hydrogen isotopes, and (2) the IR rovibrational excitation of molecules beams, for which the rotational polarization is
transferred to the nuclei by the hyperfine interaction, producing nuclear-spin-polarized molecules. Very recently, we have shown that UV photodissociation can
produce spin-polarized hydrogen at densities 5 orders of magnitude higher (!) than conventional methods. We have also made proposals for using these densities to
verify the expected 50% enhancement of the D-T and D-3He nuclear reactions, for the first time, by performing laser fusion at the National Ignition Facility (USA). An
important goal of this proposal will be performing the necessary preliminary steps towards achieving this important goal. In addition, IR excitation can produce
sufficient production rates of spin-polarized nuclei for nuclear fusion reactors, and for NMR enhancement (5 orders of magnitude higher than conventional methods).
The second goal of this project will be to demonstrate proof-of-principle measurements of nuclear-spin-polarized molecule production in a setup at FORTH, which
can later be scaled up appropriately for applications to nuclear reactors, particle colliders, and NMR measurements. These directions are supported through
collaborations with the Jülich Nuclear Physics Institute (Germany) and Jefferson Labs (USA).

The ability to characterize the structure, dynamics and properties of materials is an essential component of modern soft matter science. It leads to the optimization of synthetic routes by the establishment of chemistry-structure-properties relationships. IESL-FORTH has over the years developed largely successful research activities in the area of advanced materials and, especially, soft matter (polymers, colloids, nano-hybrids). The characterization capabilities available at IESL-FORTH have grown covering most needs of the broad range of soft matter. However, certain experimental techniques are missing, which renders the available toolbox of characterization methods incomplete: one is small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Along this project, a state-of-the-art SAXS instrumentation that will be unique in Greece will be aquired reinforcing the soft-matter research capabilities of IESL-FORTH and the Greek soft matter community and greatly contributing to the general materials science in Greece. SAXS probes relatively large-scale structures; it is best adapted to probe nanometric to microscopic sizes. Moreover, SAXS includes not only the diffraction of large lattice spacing, of the order of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of interatomic distances, but also the scattering by non-periodic structures of amorphous and mesomorphic materials, frequently encountered in soft matter. The SAXS instrumentation will allow the Soft Matter group of IESL-FORTH to improve its structural characterization capabilities by extending the available length-scale range, which will now cover the ~1 nm to ~10 nm range by XRD, the ~10 nm to ~100 nm range by SAXS and the larger structures by light scattering. This will allow the Soft Matter Group at IESL-FORTH to continue being one of the main players in the European Soft Matter community by enhancing further its active participation to the EUSMI and NFFA-Europe Research Infrastructures (RI), within the Programme of European RI’s, and to the INNOVATION_EL infrastructure within the Greek National Roadmap of RI’s.

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