Magnet Lab Sets a New Milestone in Magnet Technology
April 2, 2004
Contact:
Janet Patten / Brian Fairhurst
(850) 644-9651 / 644-4864
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) at Florida State University has successfully tested a unique superconducting magnet system for research at Michigan State University. The magnet project is a collaboration with the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, the leading rare isotope research facility in the United States.
Scientists at the Michigan State University laboratory use a wide range of techniques to conduct advanced research in fundamental nuclear science, nuclear astrophysics, and accelerator physics. The new magnet system will have important research applications in numerous areas, including new tools for radiation treatments of cancer patients and the assessment of health risk to astronauts.
The unique magnet system, known as the “Sweeper Magnet,” was designed, fabricated, and tested at the NHMFL. The magnet will be shipped to the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory where it will be installed and operated for the next couple of decades performing cutting edge experiments using radioactive beams for research. The Sweeper magnet will help educate scores of physics students and will lead to an enhanced understanding of the stability of isotopes. The National Science Foundation is the primary funding source for both the Florida State and Michigan State Universities.
Frequently, superconducting magnets of this complexity fail to reach the performance goal on the first testing. The Sweeper magnet reached its design current on the second attempt as compared to more than 100 attempts by other laboratories. The exceptional performance of this magnet can be credited to the numerous innovations by the magnet design team at the NHMFL.
The NMHFL has developed an international reputation for fabricating and operating the highest performance magnets for research. The Sweeper magnet is the latest of several collaborative projects with other national and international laboratories that use the vast expertise of NHMFL magnet technologists.
March 25, 2004 marks the 10th anniversary of building the first high-field powered magnet in Tallahassee, which was a collaboration with the High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Grenoble, France. During the past ten years, the NHMFL has also completed successful collaborations with other major laboratories in New Jersey, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Alabama, California, the Netherlands, Korea, Japan, Germany, and France.
The NHMFL develops and operates the highest magnetic field facilities that scientists use for research in physics, biology, bioengineering, chemistry, geochemistry, biochemistry, materials science, medicine, and engineering. It is the only facility of its kind in the United States and one of nine laboratories of its kind in the world. It is recognized as the preeminent magnet laboratory because of its unique facilities and high performance magnet systems designed and fabricated by the NHMFL cutting edge magnet engineers.
The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (www.magnet.fsu.edu) develops and operates state-of-the-art high-magnetic-field facilities that faculty and visiting scientists and engineers use for research in physics, biology, bioengineering, chemistry, geochemistry, biochemistry, and materials science. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the state of Florida, the lab is operated by Florida State University, and its 330,000-square-foot main facility is located in Tallahassee’s Innovation Park. The magnet lab also has facilities at the University of Florida and at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
