<p>A collaboration between the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University and industry partner SuperPower Inc. has led to a new world record for a magnetic field created by a superconducting magnet.</p>
<p>The new record26.8 teslawas reached in late July at the magnet lab's High Field Test Facility and brings engineers closer to realizing the National Research Council goal of creating a 30-tesla superconducting magnet. The development of such a magnet could lead to great advances in physics, biology and chemistry research, as well as significant reductions in the operating costs of many high-field magnets.</p>
<p>The world-record magnet's test coil was wound by Schenectady, N.Y.-based SuperPower (<a href="http://www.superpower-inc.com%5B/url%5D">www.superpower-inc.com</a>) with a well-known, high-temperature superconductor called yttrium barium copper oxide, or YBCO. SuperPower develops superconductors such as YBCO and related technologies for the electric power industry. The magnet lab's Applied Superconductivity Center has worked with the company to determine the superconducting and mechanical properties of YBCO and other materials.</p>
<p>"This test demonstrates what we had long hopedthat YBCO high-temperature superconductors being made now for electric utility applications also have great potential for high-magnetic-field technology," said David Larbalestier, director of the Applied Superconductivity Center and chief materials scientist at the magnet lab.</p>
<p>"It seems likely that this conductor technology can be used to make all-superconducting magnets with fields that will soon exceed 30 tesla. This far exceeds the 22- to 23-tesla limit of all previous niobium-based superconducting magnets." (Niobium is the material used to build most superconducting magnets.)</p>
<p>Venkat Selvamanickam, vice president and chief technology officer at SuperPower, said the YBCO wire's potential for application outside the electric power industry has long been in the company's sights.</p>
<p>The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory develops and operates state-of-the-art, high-magnetic-field facilities that faculty and visiting scientists and engineers use for research. The laboratory is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the state of Florida. To learn more, visit <a href="http://www.magnet.fsu.edu%5B/url%5D">www.magnet.fsu.edu</a>.</p>
<p>SuperPower is a world leader in developing commercially feasible second-generation high-temperature superconductors and related devices designed to enhance the capacity, reliability and quality of electric power transmission and distribution.</p>
<p>For the complete article, see: <a href="http://www.fsu.edu/news/2007/08/07/record.magnet/%5B/url%5D">http://www.fsu.edu/news/2007/08/07/record.magnet/</a></p>