A magnetic resonance system includes a main magnet (12,12′, 12″) which generates a static magnetic field B0 in an examination region (14,14′,14″). A hyperpolarization device (26,26′,26″) directly hyperpolarizes nuclear spins via electromagnetic radiation endowed with orbital angular momentum transverse to the static magnetic field B0 for inducing magnetic resonance. The hyperpolarization device includes an orientation tracking unit (100) which determines an orientation of the endowed photon beam relative to a predefined external coordinate system. An orientation modifier (104) adjusts the orientation of the endowed photon beam to an optimal orientation according to the determined relative orientation.