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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. The Current Status and Future Direction of High-Magnetic-Field Science and Technology in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27830.

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COMMITTEE ON THE CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE DIRECTION OF HIGH-MAGNETIC-FIELD SCIENCE IN THE UNITED STATES, PHASE II

PETER B. LITTLEWOOD, University of Chicago, Chair

KATHLEEN MELANIE AMM,¹ Brookhaven National Laboratory

DIEGO ARBELAEZ, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

SATOSHI AWAJI, Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Japan

AMBER YAELSYLVIA BALAZS, AstraZeneca

ANNA MARIE LEESE DE ESCOBAR, Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific (retired)

EDWIN FOHTUNG, Rensselaer Polytech Institute

PETRA FROMME, Arizona State University

LUCIO FRYDMAN, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

EFIM GLUSKIN, Argonne National Laboratory

SOPHIA EUGENIE HAYES, Washington University

VALERIA LAUTER, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

CHARLES (CHUCK) H. MIELKE, Los Alamos National Laboratory

PETER B. ROEMER (NAE), GE Healthcare (retired)

ROBERT TYCKO (NAS), National Institutes of Health

NAI-CHANG YEH, California Institute of Technology

YUHU ZHAI, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

Study Staff

MICHAEL T. JANICKE, Senior Program Officer, Co-Study Director

ERIK B. SVEDBERG, Scholar, Co-Study Director

MICHELLE SCHWALBE, Director, National Materials and Manufacturing Board and Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics

AMISHA JINANDRA, Senior Research Analyst

BLAKE REICHMUTH, Associate Program Officer

SUDHIR SHENOY, Associate Program Officer (from April 2024)

JOSEPH PALMER, Senior Project Assistant

MASON KLEMM, Mirzayan Fellow (from March 2024)

PADMA LIM, Undergraduate Intern (until September 2023)

NATIONAL MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING BOARD

THERESA KOTANCHEK (NAE), Evolved Analytics, LLC, Chair

JOHN KLIER, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Vice Chair

KEVIN ANDERSON (NAE), Brunswick Corporation

CRAIG ARNOLD, Princeton University

FELICIA J. BENTON-JOHNSON, Georgia Institute of Technology

WILLIAM B. BONVILLIAN, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

JIAN CAO (NAE), Northwestern University

ELLIOT L. CHAIKOF (NAM), Harvard University

JULIE A. CHRISTODOULOU, Office of Naval Research (retired)

TERESA CLEMENT, Raytheon Missile Systems

AMIT GOYAL (NAE), State University of New York at Buffalo

JULIA GREER, California Institute of Technology

SATYANDRA K. GUPTA, University of Southern California

BRADLEY A. JAMES, Exponent, Inc.

THOMAS R. KURFESS (NAE), Georgia Institute of Technology

MICHAEL (MICK) MAHER, Maher & Associates, LLC

RAMULU MAMIDALA, University of Washington

SHIRLEY MENG, University of Chicago

OMKARAM (OM) NALAMASU (NAE), Applied Materials, Inc.

DENNIS SYLVESTER, University of Michigan

MATTHEW J. ZALUZEC, University of Florida

Staff

MICHELLE SCHWALBE, Director, National Materials and Manufacturing Board and Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics

ERIK B. SVEDBERG, Scholar

BRYSTOL ENGLISH, Senior Program Officer

AMISHA JINANDRA, Senior Research Analyst

JOSEPH PALMER, Senior Project Assistant

HEATHER LOZOWSKI, Financial Officer

SUDHIR SHENOY, Associate Program Officer (from January 2024)

MASON KLEMM, Mirzayan Fellow

PADMA LIM, Undergraduate Intern

BOARD ON PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

JILL P. DAHLBURG, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (retired), Chair

MEIGAN ARONSON, The University of British Columbia

WILLIAM BIALEK (NAS), Princeton University

CHUNG-PEI MA (NAS), University of California, Berkeley

ANDREW MILLIS (NAS), Columbia University

ANGELA V. OLINTO (NAS), University of Chicago

DAVID H. REITZE, California Institute of Technology

SUNIL SINHA, University of California, San Diego

EDWARD THOMAS, JR., Auburn University

RISA H. WECHSLER, Stanford University

WILLIAM A. ZAJC, Columbia University

Staff

COLLEEN N. HARTMAN, Director, Board on Physics and Astronomy, Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, and Space Studies Board

ARUL MOZHI, Associate Director, Board on Physics and Astronomy, Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, and Space Studies Board

DONALD SHAPERO, Senior Scholar

CHRISTOPHER JONES, Senior Program Officer

AMISHA JINANDRA, Associate Program Officer

CHRIS JONES, Senior Financial Business Partner

LINDA WALKER, Program Coordinator

NUCLEAR AND RADIATION STUDIES BOARD

WILLIAM H. TOBEY, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Chair

AMY BERRINGTON DE GONZÁLEZ, National Cancer Institute, Vice Chair

SALLY A. AMUNDSON, Columbia University

MADELYN R. CREEDON, The George Washington University

LAWRENCE T. DAUER, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

SHAHEEN A. DEWJI, Georgia Institute of Technology

PAUL T. DICKMAN, Argonne National Laboratory

DONALD P. FRUSH, Duke University School of Medicine

ALLISON M. MACFARLANE, The University of British Columbia

ELEANOR MELAMED, U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (retired)

PER F. PETERSON (NAE), University of California, Berkeley

R. JULIAN PRESTON, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

MONICA C. REGALBUTO, Idaho National Laboratory

Staff

CHARLES D. FERGUSON, Senior Board Director

MICHAEL T. JANICKE, Senior Program Officer

DANIEL J. MULROW, Program Officer

LAURA D. LLANOS, Financial Business Partner

LESLIE BEAUCHAMP, Senior Program Assistant

DARLENE GROS, Senior Program Assistant

Reviewers

This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by NAI PHUAN ONG (NAS), Princeton University, and CHERRY A. MURRAY (NAS/NAE), University of Arizona. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.

Acknowledgments

The committee would like to thank the following individuals who added to the members’ understanding of the field:

Dorothy Beckett, National Institutes of Health; Ken Marken, Department of Energy; Germano Iannacchione, National Science Foundation (NSF); Guido Pintacuda, France; Harald Schwalbe, Germany; Stuart Feltham, GE Healthcare; Zhigao Sheng, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Liang Li, Wuhan National High Magnetic Field Center; Pete Chupas, NSF; Ryan Ott, NSF; Tom Lograsso, Critical Materials Institute; Venkat Selvamanickam, University of Houston; Mark Elsesser, American Physical Society; Robert C. Goodin, U.S. Geological Survey; Phil Kornbluth, Kornbluth Helium Consulting; Tanya L. Whitmer, NSF; Yasuhiro H. Matsuda, University of Tokyo; Robert Griffin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Tatyana Polenova, University of Delaware; Hashim al-Hashimi, Columbia University; Thoralf Niendorf, Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility; Kamil Uğurbil, University of Minnesota; Bruce Rosen, Harvard University; Gary A. Lorigan, Miami University; David Britt, University of California, Davis; Song-I Han, Northwestern University, Evanston; David Parker, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); Suchitra Sebastian, University of Cambridge; Stuart Brown, University of California, Los Angeles; Laurel Winter, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Scott Crooker, LANL; Fedor Balakirev, LANL; Doan Nguyen, LANL; Rob Schurko, Florida State University (FSU); Joanna Long, University of Florida; Sam Grant, FSU; Steve Hill, FSU; Chris Hendrickson, FSU; David Larbalestier, Applied Superconductivity Center;

Contents

PREFACE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

SUMMARY

1 MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPIES

Introduction to Magnetic Resonance

Role of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance in Biological Sciences

Role of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance in Pharmaceutical Industries

Key Technological Developments During the Past Decade

Summary and Recommendations in Chapter 1

2 MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING

Introduction

In Vivo Magnetic Resonance: Science Drivers

Human Magnetic Resonance Imaging Field Strengths: Available and Planned

Preclinical Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Magnet Field Strength Limits

Summary

3 SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNET TECHNOLOGY FOR FUSION

Introduction

Science Drivers

Status of Magnetic Confinement Fusion Around the World

4 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS

Introduction

Measurements in Direct Current and Pulsed Magnetic Field

Quantum Information Science

Current Status of Available Magnetic Fields Worldwide

Instrumentation Development for High-Field Measurements

National Security Implications

5 ACCELERATOR MAGNETS

Introduction

Current Research and Development Status and Efforts

Future Directions

Synergies

Foreign High-Field Accelerator Magnet Research and Development Efforts

Summary and Recommendations

6 SUPERCONDUCTING MATERIALS AND WIRES/TAPES FOR HIGH-FIELD MAGNETS

Introduction

Superconductors: Status and Developments

High Strength Conductor for Pulsed Magnets

Summary and Recommendations

7 HELIUM AS A CRITICAL MATERIAL FOR HIGH MAGNETIC FIELDS AND ADJACENT RESEARCH

Introduction

Summary Findings of Chapter 7

Fact Finding and Analytics

Recycling and Reuse of Helium Is a Critical Next Step, Requiring Substantial Capital Investment (Long-Term Solution)

Launch of New Exploratory Research and Discovery of Next Generation of Cryogen-Free Technology (Long-Term Solution)

8 STEWARDSHIP

Introduction

Democratization of the Scientific Community’s Access to High Magnetic Fields in the United States and Worldwide

Centralized User Facilities, Neutron, Synchrotron in Combination with High Magnetic Fields

Structure and Stewardship of High-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facilities

International Relationships

Development of Magnets in the United States

Principles of Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability of High-Magnetic-Field Science and Technology Data

9 TRAINING OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF HIGH-MAGNETIC-FIELD SCIENTISTS AND TECHNOLOGISTS

Introduction and History

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

10 MULTIMODAL CAPABILITIES: COMBINING HIGH MAGNETIC FIELDS WITH NEUTRON, SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, AND FREE ELECTRON LASER FACILITIES

Introduction

Introduction to Neutron Facilities

XFELs in the United States

Status of High-Magnetic-Field Research at European X-ray Free-Electron Laser Facilities Worldwide

Status and Critical Needs for High-Magnetic-Field Studies at U.S. Light Sources

Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations

APPENDIXES

A Statement of Task

B Public Meeting Agendas

C Bibliography on Development of High-Temperature Superconductor Magnets

D Committee Member Biographical Information

E Acronyms and Abbreviations

Preface

High magnetic fields are a vital tool in many areas of science and technology and have a tremendous impact on our everyday lives. They enable important probes of inorganic and biological materials and of living matter as in nuclear magnetic resonance used in drug discovery and magnetic resonance imaging for medical diagnostics and research. They enable the control and confinement of elementary particles—for example, in magnetically confined fusion devices for a future energy source; in particle accelerators; in synchrotron X-ray sources for medicine, material science, and chemistry; as well as the very-high-energy accelerators to study the fundamental nature of matter in the universe and the forces that govern them. The largest fields can be utilized to explore new physical properties of condensed matter, aiding the design of quantum technologies and new materials, such as semiconductors in electronic devices. There are also important national security implications in advancing the state of the art in high-magnetic-field science and engineering. The U.S. government has, through several agencies, made substantial investment in high-magnetic-field science, most notably at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, but also through research in accelerator development, as well as the provision of research instrumentation to the scientific community.

While consensus study committees of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine often develop recommendations for policymakers and funding agencies on how best to support the direction of research in the United States, a discussion of what could be lost without investments in research and development may not be included. From this study, that loss is the opportunity for