In a test of principle a neutron spin filter has been built, which is based on dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) using photo-excited triplet states. This DNP method has advantages over classical concepts as the requirements for cryogenic equipment and magnets are much relaxed: the spin filter is operated in a field of 0.3 Tat a temperature of about 100 K and has performed reliably over periods of several weeks. The neutron beam was also used to analyze the polarization of the target employed as a spin filter. We obtained an independent measurement of the proton spin polarization of similar to 0.13 in good agreement with the value determined with NMR. Moreover, the neutron beam was used to measure the proton spin polarization as a function of position in the naphthalene sample. The polarization was found to be homogeneous, even at low laser power, in contradiction to existing models describing the photo-excitation process. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.