Series Connected Hybrid for the Helmholtz Centre Berlin
In April 2007, the Helmholtz Centre Berlin (then known as the Hahn-Meitner Institute) contracted with the MagLab and Florida State University to build an $8.7-million hybrid magnet for “neutron scattering” experiments.
When finished in 2011, the new, high-field magnet, which is based on the Magnet Lab’s Series-Connected Hybrid concept, will be housed at the Berlin Neutron Scattering Center. The magnet will produce a magnetic field between 25 tesla and 30 tesla. It will be the world’s strongest magnet for neutron experiments, eclipsing the 15-tesla system presently at the Helmholtz Centre Berlin.
Model of the planned $8.7 million magnet.
Photo Credit: Helmholtz Centre Berlin
The Magnet Lab’s Magnet Science & Technology division has been working with Helmholtz Centre since the summer of 2005, recently completing a design study. The results of that study were strong enough to convince the review committee of the German Helmholtz Association and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research that the investment in the new technology was worth the cost.
The lab’s Series-Connected Hybrid combines copper-coil “resistive” magnet technology in the magnet’s interior with a superconducting magnet, cooled with liquid helium, on the exterior. The copper-coil insert is powered by an electrical current, while the superconducting outsert conducts electricity without resistance as long as it is kept colder than 450 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. By combining the power supplies of these two technologies, engineers can produce extremely high magnetic fields using just one-third of the power required by traditional magnets.
The version that Magnet Lab engineers will build for HMI is different in that its bore, or experimental space, will be conical to allow neutrons to be scattered through large angles. A patent (US 7,825,760) was awarded for the design of this unique magnet. It also will be horizontal, as opposed to the traditional vertical bore of most high-field magnets. These modifications make the magnet ideal for neutron scattering experiments, which are among the best methods for probing atoms to better understand the structure of materials.
Neutrons are remarkable probes of phenomena within solids. With this new magnet, scientists from around the world will be able to carry out experiments that aren’t currently possible. Presently, one of the greatest challenges in condensed matter physics is to develop a comprehensive theory describing high-temperature superconductors. The combination of neutrons and high magnetic fields will allow scientists to study the normal state of high-temperature superconductors in the low-temperature limit. In addition, it will be possible to probe hydrogen structure in both biological and hydrogen-storage materials.
The project is funded primarily through the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research. In addition to the $8.7-million magnet, the Germans are putting $14.4 million into infrastructure, such as cooling and current supplies, needed to run a high-field magnet. The agreement will be administered by Florida State University Magnet Research and Development, Inc., a not-for-profit direct support organization of the magnet lab.
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For more information, please contact Iain Dixon at dixon@magnet.fsu.edu or (850) 644-7653.
