arXiv subjects

David L. Goodwin

Publications and source records attributed to David L. Goodwin.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

In situ Learning-Based Spin Engineering of Pulsed Dynamic Nuclear Polarization

Pulsed Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) is currently receiving substantial interest as a means to enhance the sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by orders of magnitude. It has also received much attention as a central ingredient in many modalities of electron spin-involved quantum sensing. Relative to spin engineering associated with NMR, the design of efficient pulsed DNP experiments with a broad experimental scope are challenged by large electron-nuclear spin systems, large electron spin-involved interactions, and instrumental non-idealities and limitations. All of this may challenge traditional NMR-like theoretical and numerical pulse sequence engineering. Exploiting state-of-the-art instrumentation and taking advantage of the high sensitivity of DNP relative to NMR, we here demonstrate the use of combinations of Bayesian machine learning methods and constrained random walk procedures to design pulse sequences \textit{in situ}, by experiments, directly on the spin systems responding to spectrometer instructions. For trityl and nitroxide samples, it is demonstrated that efficient broadband DNP pulse sequences can be designed in situ with experimental protocols benchmarked against in silico analogs.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2026

Extending numerical simulations in SIMPSON: Electron paramagnetic resonance, dynamic nuclear polarisation, propagator splitting, pulse transients, and quadrupolar cross terms

Aimed at the simulation, design, and interpretation of advanced pulse experiments crossing the boundaries between nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), including the rapidly emerging, hybrid discipline of pulsed dynamic nuclear polarisation (DNP), we present a host of novel features in the widely used SIMPSON software package addressing these aspects. Along with this come new features for advanced pulse sequence evaluation in terms of propagator splitting, high-order spin operator cross terms, and pulse phase transients. These fundamental new tools are introduced in a C++-based next generation of the SIMPSON software, which improves calculations speed in some aspects, is better prepared for further developments, and facilitates easier community contributions to the open-source software package.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2025

Longitudinal Pulsed Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Transfer via Periodic Optimal Control

Taking inspiration from NMR spectroscopy, periodic irradiation schemes have recently shown remarkable performance when implemented into pulsed dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) sequences. This has prompted considerable interest in development of broadband pulsed DNP sequences utilizing such schemes. On this background, most efforts have focused on solid-state NMR like transverse spin-locked pulse sequences whose performance in DNP applications may be compromised by the broadband capabilities of the initial excitation pulse. Leveraging the flexibility and robustness of optimal control theory combined with underlying insights from effective Hamiltonian theory, we present a new family of broadband DNP pulse sequences, termed LOOP (Longitudinally Optimized with Overarching Periodicity), that alleviates the excitation-pulse challenge by accomplishing longitudinal polarization transfer. These sequences define robust single-spin effective $z$ rotations, with impressive compensation towards microwave field inhomogeneity, and are capable of delivering DNP transfer with bandwidths exceeding 100 MHz, while employing a peak microwave field amplitude of only 32 MHz, at an external magnetic field of 0.35 T.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Controlling Effective Hamiltonians: Broadband Pulsed Dynamic Nuclear Polarization by Constrained Random Walk and Non-linear Optimization

We present constrained random walk (cRW) and figure of merit (FOM) based non-linear optimization procedures for systematic design and fundamental understanding of magnetic resonance experiments dressing bilinear and linear effective Hamiltonians to provide broadband polarization transfer. cRW can be used directly for fast random experiment design, or in combination with non-linear optimization or optimal control, leveraging the optimization of a FOM function for efficient control of linear and bilinear terms derived by exact effective Hamiltonian theory (EEHT). The efficacy of the combined cRW and FOM-based optimization approach is demonstrated by the design of broadband dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) pulse sequences for static solids with an electron spin excitation bandwidth reaching 100 MHz.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2022

Accelerated Newton-Raphson GRAPE methods for optimal control

A Hessian based optimal control method is presented in Liouville space to mitigate previously undesirable polynomial scaling of computation time. This new method, an improvement to the state-of-the-art Newton-Raphson GRAPE method, is derived with respect to two exact time-propagator derivative techniques: auxiliary matrix and ESCALADE methods. We observed that compared to the best current implementation of Newton-Raphson GRAPE method, for an ensemble of 2-level systems, with realistic conditions, the new auxiliary matrix and ESCALADE Hessians can be 4-200 and 70-600 times faster, respectively.

math.OC↗

arXiv2021

Concurrent J-Evolving Refocusing Pulses

Conventional refocusing pulses are optimised for a single spin without considering any type of coupling. However, despite the fact that most couplings will result in undesired distortions, refocusing in delay-pulse-delay-type sequences with desired heteronuclear coherence transfer might be enhanced considerably by including coupling evolution into pulse design. We provide a proof of principle study for a Hydrogen-Carbon refocusing pulse sandwich with inherent J-evolution following the previously reported ICEBERG-principle with improved performance in terms of refocusing performance and/or overall effective coherence transfer time. Pulses are optimised using optimal control theory with a newly derived quality factor and z-controls as an efficient tool to speed up calculations. Pulses are characterised in detail and compared to conventional concurrent refocusing pulses, clearly showing an improvement for the J-evolving pulse sandwich. As a side-product, also efficient J-compensated refocusing pulse sandwiches -- termed BUBU pulses following the nomenclature of previous J-compensated BUBI and BEBE(tr) pulse sandwiches -- have been optimised.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2021

Optimal control gradient precision trade-offs: application to fast generation of DeepControl libraries for MRI

We have recently demonstrated supervised deep learning methods for rapid generation of radiofrequency pulses in magnetic resonance imaging (https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.27740, https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.28667). Unlike the previous iterative optimization approaches, deep learning methods generate a pulse using a fixed number of floating-point operations - this is important in MRI, where patient-specific pulses preferably must be produced in real time. However, deep learning requires vast training libraries, which must be generated using the traditional methods, e.g. iterative quantum optimal control methods. Those methods are usually variations of gradient descent, and the calculation of the fidelity gradient of the performance metric with respect to the pulse waveform can be the most numerically intensive step. In this communication, we explore various ways in which the calculation of fidelity gradients in quantum optimal control theory may be accelerated. Four optimization avenues are explored: truncated commutator series expansions at zeroth and first order, a novel midpoint truncation scheme at first order, and the exact complex-step method. For the spin systems relevant to MRI, the first-order truncation is found to be sufficiently accurate, but also up to five times faster than the machine precision gradient. This makes the generation of training databases for the machine learning methods considerably more realistic.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2020

Second order phase dispersion by optimised rotation pulses

We show that the duration of broadband universal control pulses can be halved by choosing control targets with a quadratic function of phase dispersion. This class of control pulses perform a broadband universal rotation around an axis, in the Bloch sphere representation of two-level systems, given by this phase dispersion function. We present an effective optimal control method to avoid the problem of convergence to local extrema traps.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Feedback control optimisation of ESR experiments

Numerically optimised microwave pulses are used to increase excitation efficiency and modulation depth in electron spin resonance experiments performed on a spectrometer equipped with an arbitrary waveform generator. The optimisation procedure is sample-specific and reminiscent of the magnet shimming process used in the early days of nuclear magnetic resonance -- an objective function (for example, echo integral in a spin echo experiment) is defined and optimised numerically as a function of the pulse waveform vector using noise-resilient gradient-free methods. We found that the resulting shaped microwave pulses achieve higher excitation bandwidth and better echo modulation depth than the pulse shapes used as the initial guess. Although the method is theoretically less sophisticated than simulation based quantum optimal control techniques, it has the advantage of being free of the linear response approximation; rapid electron spin relaxation also means that the optimisation takes only a few seconds. This makes the procedure fast, convenient, and easy to use. An important application of this method is at the final stage of the implementation of theoretically designed pulse shapes: compensation of pulse distortions introduced by the instrument. The performance is illustrated using spin echo and out-of-phase electron spin echo envelope modulation experiments. Interface code between Bruker SpinJet arbitrary waveform generator and Matlab is included in versions 2.2 and later of the Spinach library.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2018

Advanced Optimal Control Methods for Spin Systems

Work within this thesis advances optimal control algorithms for application to magnetic resonance systems. Specifically, presenting a quadratically convergent version of the gradient ascent pulse engineering method. The work is formulated in a superoperator representation of the Liouville-von Neumann equation. A Newton-grape method is developed using efficient calculation of analytical second directional derivatives. The method is developed to scale with the same complexity as methods that use only first directional derivatives. Algorithms to ensure a well-conditioned and positive definite matrix of second directional derivatives are used so the sufficient conditions of gradient-based numerical optimisation are met. A number of applications of optimal control in magnetic resonance are investigated: solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, magnetisation-to-singlet pulses, and electron spin resonance experiments.

quant-ph↗