Equipment: MRI: Track 3 Acquisition of Helium Recovery Equipment: Helium Liquefaction Facility for Quantum Research, Engineering Laboratories, & Biochemical Applications

Liquid helium (LHe) is a strategically important and finite resource that enables research at the frontiers of quantum science and engineering, biomedical fields, and fundamental physics. At Colorado State University (CSU), LHe supports rapidly growing programs in quantum materials, quantum computing hardware, nanophotonics, precision measurements, particle physics, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Responsible recovery and recycling of LHe are essential for both sustainability and long-term research productivity. This award will expand CSU’s helium recovery infrastructure by adding a second facility to an existing facility, which supports NMR instrumentation widely used in chemical, biological, and materials research. The new facility will more than double the current liquid helium production at CSU, increase on-site reserves, enhance resilience to supply fluctuations, and strengthen conservation through improved recovery and reduced losses. The new facility will focus on supporting the needs of quantum science groups and serve as an emergency backup for the NMR liquefier. By increasing institutional helium recovery and production, the project reinforces national scientific leadership and innovation capacity. The award also advances workforce development. Hundreds of students annually engage with helium-dependent instrumentation through coursework and research training. Expanded infrastructure increases hands-on access to state-of-the-art cryogenic science, preparing a skilled workforce for careers in quantum technology, biomedical research, and other high-technology sectors. By strengthening critical research infrastructure and promoting responsible stewardship of a strategic resource, this project advances NSF’s mission to promote the progress of science and benefit the nation’s health, prosperity, and security. This project will enable installation of a helium liquefaction system on the north CSU campus with a storage capacity of 150 liters and a liquefaction rate of up to 28 liters per day. The new facility will more than double CSU’s total LHe production capacity and increase available reserves, while providing redundancy to the existing south campus NMR liquefaction system. The installation builds on more than a decade of institutional experience in helium recovery, compression, and reliquefaction. Research enabled by the system includes investigations of tunable magnetism and spin transport in quantum materials; heterostructures of two-dimensional materials; radio-frequency devices for quantum computing and accelerator applications; precision tests of fundamental physics using trapped ions; development of liquid-helium-based particle detectors; and quantum photonic measurements. These experiments require ultra-low vibration environments, highly stable temperatures, and/or sustained cooling power not achievable with dry closed-cycle cryogenic systems alone.In addition to supporting quantum and fundamental physics research, the facility will serve as overflow and emergency backup for NMR instrumentation, including newly installed 400 MHz and 600 MHz systems used by researchers across four colleges and ten departments. The north campus installation will eliminate routine dewar transport, reducing helium loss and operational risk. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2511963 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Yulia Maximenko | Institution: Colorado State University, FORT COLLINS, CO | Award Amount: $551,619 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2511963 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2511963.html