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Certain metals exhibit a strong response to a magnetic field. But everything reacts to magnetic fields in some way.

This itsy-bitsy phenomenon makes your iPod and hard drive tick.

Why do physicists want to study things at temperatures so cold atomic motion almost comes to a halt? And how do they create such frigid environments, anyway? Read on for the what, how and why of low temperature physics.

They don't call it super for nothing. Once you get a superconductor going, it'll keep on ticking like the Energizer Bunny, only a lot longer. The catch is, it needs to be kept colder than Pluto.

At the National MagLab and other labs across the globe, the race to discover ever-warmer superconductors is heating up. Find out what these materials are, what they’re good for and why this field is red hot.

How do scientists use powerful magnets to learn about graphene? 

This sports and science mash up features new geeky games inspired by the cool things scientists study in high-field magnets. 

Sometimes, science can be a bit like making a good sandwich — but one a little more complex than your average PB&J.

A step-by-step look at how one physicist uses magnets to understand superconductors, spin liquids and why some materials get frustrated.

Esther Conwell was a physicist and chemist known for her pioneering semiconductor science. Her research investigating the fundamental properties of semiconductors and conducting polymers paved the way for modern computing and silicone microchips.

Theodore Maiman built the world's first operable laser, which utilized a small synthetic rod with silvered ends to produce a narrow beam of monochromatic light with a wavelength of approximately 694 nanometers.

Walther Meissner discovered while working with Robert Ochsenfeld that superconductors expel relatively weak magnetic fields from their interior and are strongly diamagnetic.

The Scientific Revolution takes hold, facilitating the groundbreaking work of luminaries such as William Gilbert, who took the first truly scientific approach to the study of magnetism and electricity and wrote extensively of his findings.

This iron-packed substance has a dual personality; one second it's a liquid, the next it's a solid. Mix up a batch at home and see how this unique stuff works.

Watch crystals grow in this time lapse footage and learn how to grow your own crystals at home.

How do you destroy a magnetic fields in a permanent magnet? This lesson takes you through the steps. 

Decades ago, a mechanism was proposed that described a quantum phase transition to an insulating ground state from a semi-metal (excitonic insulator, or EI) using very similar mechanics to those found in the BCS description of superconductivity. The discovery of this transition to an EI in InAs/GaSb quantum wells is striking not only for the long-sought experimental realization of important physics, but also the presence of recently proposed topological behavior.

In the 14 years since its discovery, graphene has amazed scientists around the world with both the ground-breaking physics and technological potential it displays. Recently, scientists from Penn State University added to graphene's gallery of impressive scientific achievements and constructed a map that will aid future exploration of this material. This work is emblematic of the large number of university-based materials research efforts that use the MagLab to explore the frontiers of science.

This work provides important insight into one of the parent materials of iron-based superconductors.

Scientists found that the emergence of an exotic quantum mechanical phase in Ce_1-xNd_xCoIn₅ is due to a shape change in the Fermi surface. This finding ran counter to theoretical arguments and has led investigators in new directions.

Scientists have long pursued the goal of superconductivity at room temperature. This work opens a route towards one day stabilizing superconductivity at room temperature, which could open tremendous technological opportunities.

Scientists revealed previously unobserved and unexpected FQH states in monolayer graphene that raise new questions regarding the interaction between electrons in these states.

The observation of topological states coupled with superconductivity represents an opportunity for scientists to manipulate nontrivial superconducting states via the spin-orbit interaction. While superconductivity has been extensively studied since its discovery in 1910, the advent of topological materials gives scientists a new avenue to explore quantum matter. BiPd is being studied using "MagLab-sized fields" by scientists from LSU in an effort to determine if it is indeed a topological superconductor.

MagLab users have modified the critical current of Nb₃SN, a material that was thought to be fully exploited, and boosted its performance by 50%.

Research on doped SrCu₂(BO₃)₂ shows anomalies in the magnetization.

Studies of uranium ditelluride in high magnetic fields show superconductivity switching off at 35 T, but reoccurring at higher magnetic fields between 40 and 65 T.

A nematic phase is where the molecular/atomic dynamics show elements of both liquids and solids, like in liquid crystal displays on digital watches or calculators. Using high magnetic fields and high pressure, researchers probed the electronic states of an iron-based superconductor and found that its nematic state weakened superconductivity.

Topological semimetals are an exciting new area of research due to their number of predicted and unexpected quantum mechanical states. Understanding these materials may also lead to quantum devices that function at near room temperature.

Materials with magnetoelectric coupling - a combination of magnetic and electric properties - have potential applications in low-power magnetic sensing, new computational devices and high-frequency electronics. Here, researchers find a new class of magnetoelectric materials controlled by spin state switching.

Magnetic induction is used in technology to convert an applied magnetic field into an electric current and vice versa. Nature also makes extensive use of this principle at the atomic and molecular level giving scientists a window to observe material properties. Using the 25 T Split-Helix magnet, researchers observed changes in the optical properties of organic materials due to currents induced by applied magnetic fields flowing in molecular rings, evidence that could increase the list of materials that could be used in future magnetic technologies.

This research clarifies fundamental relationships between magnetism, superconductivity and the nature of the enigmatic “pseudogap state" in cuprate superconductors. The discovery provides an additional puzzle piece in the theoretical understanding of high-temperature superconductors - a key towards improving and utilizing these materials for technological applications.

Topology, screws, spin and hedgehogs are words not normally found in the same scientific article but with the discovery of Weyl fermions in thin tellurine films they actually belong together. The work in this highlight describes how Qui et. al. used the unique properties of tellurine and high magnetic fields to identify the existence of Weyl fermions in a semiconductor. This discovery opens a new window into the intriguing world to topological materials.

Using electric fields as a switch to control the magnetism of a material is one of the goals behind the study of multiferroics. This work explores the microscopic origins of high temperature magnetism in one such material through the use of optical techniques in high magnetic fields, an approach that could help researchers understand magnetism in a large class of materials.

Nuclear magnetic resonance measurements were performed in the all-new 32 T superconducting magnet in an effort to confirm a new quantum state. Results confirm the game-changing nature of this magnet.

Researchers based at four-year colleges and universities outside of the Research-1 (R1) tier face more obstacles to performing research than their colleagues from R1 universities or national laboratories with robust research infrastructures. Recognizing the need to bridge this infrastructure gap, the MagLab's DC Field Facility expanded access by adding two low-field magnet systems. These "on-ramp" systems facilitate critical access to materials research instrumentation by faculty and students from non-R1 institutions.

A pane of window glass and a piece of quartz are both are transparent to light, but their atomic structure is very different. Quartz is crystalline at the atomic level while window glass is amorphous. This can also occur with magnetism at the atomic level in solids containing magnetic states such as antiferromagnetism (ordered) and spin-glass (disorded). This work describes the interaction (exchange bias) between ordered and disordered magnetic states and how the magnetic properties of the material are altered as a result.

The MagLab's 32 T all-superconducting magnet is now serving users at full field. An early experiment in the magnet identified an important milestone on the road to quantum computers.

Electrons in metals behave like chaotic bumper cars, crashing into each other at every opportunity. While they may be reckless drivers, this result demonstrates that this chaos has a limit established by the laws of quantum mechanics. Using the 45T hybrid magnet and a crystal of high-temperature superconducting material, scientists were able to measure this boundary using high fields to bend electron trajectories to their will.

Gallium nitride (GaN) and Niobium nitride (NbN) are widely used in today's technologies: GaN is used to make blue LEDs and high-frequency transistors while NbN is used to make infrared light detectors. This experiment explores whether a nitride-based device may be relevant for quantum technologies of the future.

Using X-ray diffraction, scientists can now detect atoms themselves moving further apart or closer together in high magnetic fields, giving science a crystal clear view of nature.

Theory predicted that the transition between the superconducting and superfluid regimes should be continuous for electrons and holes in solid materials, but recent high magnetic field experiments performed by researchers from Columbia, Harvard and Brown Universities demonstrated the crossover between coupling regimes.

Three complementary measurements in intense magnetic fields shed light on a very unusual material that behaves like a metal, but does not conduct electricity! 

In high-temperature superconductors, a region exists between the superconducting and normal states known as the pseudogap state. Using the 45T hybrid magnet, scientists have determined that magnetism plays a previously unknown role in the development of the pseudogap phase.

Using high magnetic fields and low temperatures, scientists were able to observe a complex set of quantum fluctuations in a Barium, Cobalt, Antimony and Oxygen compound that can cause ordered magnetic states upon application of a magnetic field, including an unusual tetracritical point in the phase diagram where four of the magnetic phases come together at a single point.

Probing one of the prominent classes of atomically-thin materials, the transition metal dichalcogenides, researchers found that while dark excitons are not optically responsive, they do interact with bright excitons and as a result, affect the lifetime and coherence of the bright excitons. Understanding the interaction between dark and bright excitons is critical to the future use of these materials in quantum information technologies.

Kagome is the name given to the traditional Japanese star-like pattern to form baskets. The same geometric pattern can be found in the crystal structure of certain materials and can give rise to frustrated magnetism, charge density waves, superconductivity and topological properties. In a star turn for geometry, the same pattern which has given strength and beauty to weaving for thousands of years is used by nature to produce materials with complex electronic behavior.

Research on a tungsten disulfide material (1T’-WS₂) reveals a superconducting state that is able to carry an incredibly large amount of current within its superconducting layers - exceeding all other known two-dimensional superconductors.

At ultra-low temperatures in the 32T all superconducting magnet, MagLab users fully mapped out the Fermi surface of UTe_2, learning more about how electrons behave outside of the superconducting state(s) of this unique material.

Topological materials are fascinating because they take the weirdness of quantum mechanics and turn it up a few notches to 11. The behavior of Samarium Hexaboride (SmB6) has puzzled scientists for five decades and now with the help of higher magnetic fields, more sensitive measurement techniques coupled to higher quality samples, scientists have been able to pull back the curtain on the source of the strange behavior in SmB6.

Since the observation of Hofstadter’s Butterfly in graphene, scientists have been working on a veritable zoo of materials which can be exfoliated down to single atomic layers and then stacked together (van der Waals stacking). This creates an additional lattice pattern (superlattice) by combining the lattice structures of the underlying materials and has produced some incredible physics. However, building a computer chip in this manner is not really feasible leading scientists to work on growing bulk materials with these properties. This highlight describes the results of one such material.

In this study, researchers added a low concentration of the endohedral metallofullerene (EMF) Gd₂@C₇₉N to DNP samples, finding that ¹H and ¹³C enhancements increased by 40% and 50%, respectively, at 5 teslas and 1.2 Kelvin.

This work investigates a series of oxoiron complexes that serve as models towards understanding the mechanism of catalysis for certain iron-containing enzymes.

The findings contribute to scientists' understanding of magnetic materials that could point the way to future applications.

Electron spin resonance work shows how transition metal can retain quantum information, important work on the path to next-generation quantum technologies.

This study reports the first transition metal compounds featuring mixed fluoride–cyanide ligands. A significant enhancement of the magnetic anisotropy, as compared to the pure fluoride ligated compounds, is demonstrated by combined analysis of high-field electron paramagnetic resonance (HF-EPR) spectroscopy and magnetization measurements.

This work reports the first observation of the dynamical generation of a spin polarized current from an antiferromagnetic material into an adjacent non-magnetic material and its subsequent conversion into electrical signals

An exciting advance of interest to future molecular-scale information storage. By using the uniquely high frequency Electron Magnetic Resonance techniques available at the MagLab, researchers have found single molecule magnets that feature direct metal orbital overlap (instead of weak superexchange interactions), resulting in behavior similar to metallic feromagnets that is far more suitable to future technologies than previous molecular magnets.

High-resolution electron magnetic resonance studies of the spin-wave spectrum in the high-field phase of the multiferroic Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃) reveal direct evidence for the magnetoelastic coupling through a change in lattice symmetry from rhombohedral to monoclinic. This study provides important information for designing future spintronics devices based on BiFeO₃.

High-magnetic-field, high-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance demonstrates how coordination chemistry can be leveraged to stabilize a desired electronic/magnetic state in an organic molecule. In this experiment, the long-sought magnetic (triplet) ground state in a benzene ring is stabilized by a pair of metal ions above and below the six-carbon ring.

Using far-infared magnetospectroscopy in high magnetic fields, scientists probed coupled electronic and vibrational modes in a molecular magnet that are of interest in future classical and quantum information applications.

New instrumentation allows electron magnetic resonance experiments to be performed in the lab’s flagship 36 T Series-Connected Hybrid magnet, unlocking exceptionally high-resolution EMR spectra at the highest magnetic fields.

Studying a mysterious magnetic material (Na₂Co₂TeO₆) that could be used in future quantum computing schemes, researchers revealed the crucial role microscopic disorder in the crystals plays in affecting the macroscopic magnetic properties.

This study reports the first example of a europium single-molecule magnet – a molecule that can retain alignment of its ‘North’ and ‘South’ poles at low temperatures. Combined magnetic, high-field EPR and theoretical studies shed light on the importance of the rare Eu2+ oxidation state and the quasi-linear molecular geometry for achieving these properties.

Previous work at the MagLab demonstrated that it is possible to design molecules containing a LuII ion such that its lone unpaired electron is shielded against harmful magnetic noise, giving rise to a prototype molecular spin qubit with enhanced coherence. The present investigation extends this strategy to other members of the lanthanide series, such as PrII, which also has a lone unpaired electron in the 5d shell, while its two unpaired f-electrons are non magnetic.

New materials that exhibit a strong coupling between magnetic and electric effects are of great interest for the development of high-sensitivity detectors and other devices. This paper reports on such a coupling in a specially designed material.

This research established experimental evidence for the long sought-after transition of a small, two-dimensional sheet of electrons to a solid state.

Study of helium atoms at low temperatures illuminate extreme quantum effects that were earlier predicted.

Ce₃TiSb₅ identified as a metallic magnet in which inverse melting does occur.

This highlight reports on the still poorly understood transition to an electron crystalline state (the Wigner crystal) in a two-dimensional system at extremely low densities, observable at low temperatures as a function of magnetic field. This experiment finds a surprising stabilization of the Wigner crystal arising from magnetic-field-induced spin alignment. Such electrically-delicate samples require the ultra-low-noise environment and experimental techniques available at the High B/T facility.

This highlight focuses on the development of new thermometry required to study quantum materials and phenomena in high magnetic fields and at ultralow temperatures. The team has demonstrated that exceedingly small quartz tuning forks bathed in liquid 3He maintain a constant calibration that is magnetic field independent, thereby opening the use of these devices as new sensors of the response of quantum systems.

Researchers have discovered a new method to create encapsulated carbon nanomaterials that contain fluorine. Known as fullerenes, these nanocages are promising candidates for clean energy applications.

Combining high-field NMR with infrared microscopy, scientists learned more about how gas diffuses in a novel class of molecular sieves that could one day be used for gas separation.

An insect's ability to survive anaerobic conditions (without oxygen) during winter pupation occurs through periodic cycling of aerobic respiration pathways needed to recharge energy and clear waste. The cellular mechanisms at play during these brief near-arousal periods can provide clues to help improve the success in storage and transplant of human organs.

Very high magnetic fields now enable researchers to understand what surrounds calcium atoms in materials.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous materials with high surface areas that can host a variety of different guest molecules, leading to applications in catalysis, drug delivery, chemical separation, fuel cells, and data storage. In order to design better MOFs, knowledge of their molecular-level structures is crucial. At the MagLab, the highest-field NMR spectrometer in the world was used to probe the complex structures of MOFs both "as built" and as they exist when other "guest" molecules are inserted inside the framework.

A new method to study how the nuclei of atoms “communicate” with one another in the presence of unpaired electron spins has been developed at the MagLab. Known as hyperpolarization resurgence (HypRes), this method benefits and expands the application of a revolutionary technique known as dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), which provides enormous signal enhancements in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments.

Scientists have used high-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to reveal how fungal pathogens use carbohydrates and proteins to build their cell walls (the protective layers outside of the cell). These findings will guide the development of novel antifungal drugs that target the cell wall molecules to combat life-threatening diseases caused by invasive fungal infections.

Chemists are rarely able to use oxygen NMR to determine molecular structures, since ¹⁷O is an extremely challenging nucleus to observe. This work provides a mechanism for obtaining a complete set of ¹⁷O NMR parameters for a glucose molecule, paving the way for researchers to consider ¹⁷O NMR as a new spectroscopic tool. 

Combining high magnetic fields, specialized probes, and measurement techniques, this work adds the crucial ¹⁷O nucleus into the study of biomolecules like peptides, proteins, and enzymes. 

A protein modification rarely found in terrestrial animals was discovered in the slime of the velvet worm. This slime, which is projected for prey capture and self defence, turns into strong, sticky, water-soluble fibers. Dynamic nuclear polarization - nuclear magnetic resonance (DNP-NMR) facilities at the MagLab were used to understand the molecular structure of these fibers, work that may inspire the development and production of new classes of sustainable, advanced materials.

Rhodium (Rh) is one of the most costly and scarce platinum group elements; however, it is of great importance in many technologies including catalytic converters, electronics, and medical devices. Here ultra-high magnetic field instruments and new NMR methodology at the MagLab unlocked access to perform 103Rh solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, a technique that can study the molecular structures of Rh-containing materials.

Solid oxide fuel cells generate clean energy by oxidizing green fuels like hydrogen and reducing atmospheric oxygen, without recharging or emissions that contribute to climate change. They use a fast ion conductor electrolyte to move oxygen ions between electrodes, converting chemical energy to power. Our research uses ⁷¹Ga solid-state NMR spectroscopy on the highest-field magnet in the world to study the numbers of oxygen ions near gallium atoms – this will inform the design of better electrolyte materials for fuel cells.

Analogous to the unique spectral fingerprint of any atom or molecule, researchers have measured the spectrum of optical excitations in monolayer tungsten diselenide (WSe₂), which is a member of a new family of ultrathin semiconductors that are just one atomic layer thick.

Scientists used high magnetic fields and low temperatures to study crystals of URu_2–xFe_xSi₂. Using these conditions, they explored an intriguing state of matter called the "hidden order phase" that exhibits emergent behavior. Emergent behavior occurs when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, meaning the whole has exciting properties that its parts do not possess; it is an important concept in philosophy, the brain and theories of life. This data provide strict constraints on theories of emergent behavior.

Weyl metals such as tantalum arsenide (TaAs) are predicted to have novel properties arising from a chirality of their electron spins. Scientists induced an imbalance between the left- and right-handed spin states, resulting in a topologically protected current. This was the first time this phenomenon, known as the chiral anomaly, has been observed.

Using intense pulsed magnetic fields and measurements at low temperatures, MagLab users have found evidence of a long-sought “spin liquid” in terbium indium oxide (TbInO₃)

In Sr₃NiIrO₆ vibrations in the crystal lattice (phonons) play an important role in its intriguing magnetic properties that result in a very high coercive field of 55 T. Using a combination of pulsed and DC magnetic fields coupled with magnetization and far-infrared spectroscopy, researchers were able to conclusively link the phonons to the magnetic behavior.

Researchers demonstrate a new record magnetoresistance in graphene by improving the contacting method, which helps improve our understanding of the material and can be useful in future sensors, compasses and other applications.

Superconductors conduct large amounts of electricity without losses. They are also used to create very large magnetic fields, for example in MRI machines, to study materials and medicine. Here, researchers developed a fast, new "smart" technique to measure how much current a superconductor can carry using very high pulsed magnetic fields.

Interactions between electrons underpin some of the most interesting – and useful -- effects in materials science and condensed-matter physics. This work demonstrates that, in the new family of so-called "monolayer semiconductors" that are only one atomic layer thick, electron-electron interactions can lead to the sudden and spontaneous formation of a magnetized state, analogous to the appearance of magnetism in conventional materials like iron.

Physics does not yet know why copper-based superconductors (cuprates) conduct electrical current without dissipation at unprecedentedly high temperatures. Ultra high magnetic fields are used here to suppress superconductivity in a cuprate near absolute zero temperature, revealing an underlying transition to an electronic phase that might be the cause of the superconductivity.

Scientists at the Pulsed Field Facility recently found that applying an intense magnetic field to the mineral atacamite (a "frustrated" quantum magnet) yields unusual behavior associated with a novel state of matter known as quantum spin liquid.

In everyday life, phase transitions - like when water boils and turns into steam or freezes and becomes ice -  are caused by changes in temperature. Here, very high magnetic fields are used to reveal a quantum phase transition not caused by temperature, but instead driven by quantum mechanics upon changing the concentration of electrons, work that could hold critical clues that explain high-temperature superconductivity.

A new class of correlated quasiparticle states discovered in a multi-valley semiconductor using optical absorption measurements in pulsed magnetic fields. This new type of multi-particle state results when excitons interact simultaneously with multiple electron reservoirs that are quantum-mechanically distinguishable by virtue of having different spin and/or valley quantum numbers.

Generally, light transmission is symmetrical - it's the same if you shine a light through a material forward or backwards. Using powerful pulsed fields, researchers revealed one-way transparency in a nickel-tellurium-oxygen based material showing that light flows one way across the telecom range – a finding that opens the door to exciting new photonics applications.

A defining experimental signature of a crossover in the strength of the pairing interactions from the weak coupling BCS to the strong coupling Bose-Einstein condensation limit has been discovered in high temperature superconductors.

Using pulses of far-infrared light and large magnetic fields, we directly measured the cyclotron resonance of charge carriers in a high-temperature superconductor for the first time, providing a new measure of their mass.

The electrical resistance of ring-shaped TaSe₃ devices was measured in magnetic fields of up to 60 T and at temperatures down to 0.6 K. High-field experiments on these devices show that changes in the microscopic quantum mechanical behavior of electrons in TaSe₃ can be controlled by tiny mechanical forces, suggesting a completely new route towards very responsive sensors and devices.

Scientists investigated a magnetic compound, identifying a possible spin liquid phase in a quantum material that may be a candidate for robust quantum information technologies.

Pulsed magnetic fields of up to 75 T were applied at many different angles to a newly discovered metal, CsV₃Sb₅, in temperatures down to 0.5 K. Unusual oscillations in the metal’s electrical conductivity were found, giving definitive evidence of Chern pockets, a key indicator of a quantum mechanical property known as topology. Topology promises to be invaluable in future electronic devices that will work on completely new quantum principles.

An analogue of the quantum limit in metals, where very strong magnetic fields confine electrons to the lowest Landau level, has been discovered in the Kondo insulator YbB₁₂. In an insulator, the Landau level filling is shown to take place in the reverse upon closing the gap with a magnetic field.

Researchers from the Max-Planck Institute for Chemistry and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Los Alamos developed a groundbreaking method to perform tunneling spectroscopy measurements under ultra-high pressures, revealing superconducting properties in elemental sulfur. This advancement allows for the detailed study of materials that exhibit superconductivity under extreme pressures, which is essential for the development of next-generation superconductors.

MagLab scientists and engineers have developed a special coating on Bi-2212 superconducting wire for electrical insulation in superconducting magnets that will enable the wire to be used in ultra-high field nuclear magnetic resonance magnets.

Pulsed magnets are designed to operate near their structural limits to be able to generate extremely high magnetic fields. The coils have a limited life expectancy and thus need to be replaced on occasion. Fabrication of these large coils are now being done at the MagLab where advanced nondestructive examinations can be performed. Because of more rigorous quality controls and improvements in high-strength conductors and reinforcement materials, the lifetime of these coils can be extended.

Tests of high-temperature superconducting REBCO tapes at 4.2 K showed resistance to cyclic loading, demonstrating that it is a promising material for designing HTS magnets of the future.

Tests of the first Integrated Coil Form test coil wound using REBCO superconducting tape show promise for use in ultra powerful magnets of the future.

A recent test coil with more than 1300 meters of conductor successfully demonstrated a new winding technique for insulated REBCO technology and was fatigue cycled to high strain for hundreds of cycles. This is the MagLab's first "two-in-hand" wound coil and the first fatigue cycling test of a coil of this size, both of which are very important milestones on the path to a 40T user magnet.

Three non-destructive testing methods are developed for inspection of high strength, high conductivity wires which are used to wind ultra-high field pulsed magnets at the National MagLab. We expect the lifetime of future magnets to exceed those of past magnets due to these improvements in quality control.

A new device enables the testing of superconducting cables to high current without the high helium consumption associated with traditional current leads. This superconducting transformer will play an important role in testing cables needed for next-generation superconducting magnets.

The MagLab's ultrahigh-field pulsed magnets require materials with both high mechanical strength and high electrical conductivity. One of these materials is Glidcop® AL-60, an alumina particle strengthened copper. This research studies the microstructure of this material to improve the construction and endurance of these magnets.

A 19 T high-field magnet made with REBCO high-temperature superconductor, but without electrical insulation, was tested to see if it is a viable design option for a future 40 T all-superconducting magnet.

MagLab researchers developed a way to make a Copper-Chromium-Zirconium conductor for pulsed magnets that has tiny particles evenly distributed throughout, making it more conductive than commercially available alloys and stronger than the steel used in car panels. 

A test protocol has been developed and successfully demonstrated the ability to evaluate the performance of a large percentage of tape in a REBCO-wound double pancake module. 

Because of such desirable properties as high mechanical strength and electrical conductivity, Cu–Ag nano-structured sheets are used, not only in high field DC magnets, but also in the insert for our 45 T hybrid magnet. Because the property anisotropy of these sheets must be considered in these applications, we have now further studied this anisotropic behavior, evaluated the strain-hardening or strain-softening capacity of these sheets, and correlated this capacity with their microstructure.

Because of such desirable properties as high mechanical strength and electrical conductivity, Cu–Ag nano-structured sheets are used, not only in high field DC magnets, but also in the insert for our 45 T hybrid magnet. Because the property anisotropy of these sheets must be considered in these applications, we have now further studied this anisotropic behavior, evaluated the strain-hardening or strain-softening capacity of these sheets, and correlated this capacity with their microstructure.

Recent measurements of superconducting tapes in the MagLab's 45-tesla hybrid magnet shows that the power function dependence of current on magnetic field remains valid up to 45T in liquid helium, while for magnetic field in the plane of the tape conductor, almost no magnetic field dependence is observed. Thus design of ultra-high-field magnets capable of reaching 50T and higher is feasible using the latest high-critical current density REBCO tape.

To increase the rate of particle collisions in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, new powerful magnets will soon be made from Nb₃Sn superconducting wires. Here, researchers report a change to the heat-treatment temperature to optimize Nb₃Sn superconducting magnet performance.

Small additions of elemental Hafnium boosts current-carrying capability in Nb3Sn superconductor.

High field superconductor magnets greater than 10 T made from brittle Nb₃Sn superconducting wires need special attention to their assembly, strength and endurance. This new study of damage in Nb₃Sn superconducting wire from prototype accelerator coils built at CERN provides a path to designing better superconductor cables for the next generation of higher field accelerator magnets.

Researchers working to push the high temperature superconducting material (Bi-2212) to the forefront of superconducting magnet technology have used novel characterization methods to understand the complex relationship between its processing and its superconducting properties, specifically its current carrying capabilities. 

Researchers studied the mechanics of supercurrent flow in state-of-the-art Bi-2212 superconducting round wires and learned that the microstructure of the superconducting filaments is inherently resilient, work that could open the door to new opportunities to raise supercurrent capacity of Bi-2212 round wires.

A new "hot bronze" thin film growth recipe was developed to produce high quality superconducting Niobium-Tin (Nb₃Sn) films that are easier to fabricate and that outperform existing technologies.

Large superconducting magnets need multi-conductor cables, which act like multi-lane freeways to allow electricity to switch lanes if one gets blocked. Here cross-sectional images of CORC wires reveal insights to improve the contact between conductors. 

New work on round wires made with Bi-2212, a superconducting material, feature efficiency and performance that could enable the next generation of powerful magnets. Magnets made with these Bi-2212 round wires will enable nuclear fusion energy efforts, along with other applications where superconducting magnets are frequently charged and discharged during regular operation.

High magnetic fields are essential for many exciting scientific and industrial applications including next-generation MRI, particle accelerators, fusion, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Here, a Bi-2212 high-temperature superconducting test coil demonstrated robust operation up to 34T, expanding the options for future magnet development pathways. 

High temperature superconducting magnets offer tremendous potential for technological advancements and scientific discoveries, making them essential in various aspects of modern society. This work focuses on a milestone in mechanical reinforcement and overall operation of a Bi-2212 magnet.

We demonstrated the ability to measure transport critical current dependencies Ic(B,T) of full-width REBCO tapes, giving direct feedback about properties for particular growth conditions. Tape manufacturer SuperPower Inc. was able to improve its conductor with this data quickly. Also, we gave a broad data set to magnet designers to improve their technology, which could one day lead to an abundant source of energy from nuclear fusion reactions.

Made with high-temperature superconductors, the National MagLab's newest instrument shatters a world record and opens new frontiers in science.

Combining tremendous strength with a high-quality field, the MagLab’s newest instrument promises big advances in interdisciplinary research.

Lance Cooley, an expert in the field of applied superconductivity, will join the lab this summer.

The new 41.4-tesla instrument reclaims a title for the lab and paves the way for breakthroughs in physics and materials research.

Physicists prove a 30-year-old theory — the even-denominator fractional quantum Hall state — and establish bilayer graphene as a promising platform that could lead to quantum computation.

The DOE effort foresees a slew of health, environmental and safety applications.

A unique way to bond together single-layer semiconductors opens a door to new nanotechnologies.

The National Science Foundation announces five-year funding grant for continued operation of the world’s most powerful magnet lab.

This research is a promising first step toward finding a way to use graphene as a transistor, an achievement that would have widespread applications.

The visit marked the first time the Group of Senior Officials for Global Infrastructures has met in the United States.

"GAP" award will help further breakthrough treatment system for next-generation superconducting magnets.

A material already known for its unique behavior is found to carry current in a way never before observed.

With funding from the National Science Foundation, scientists and engineers will determine the best way to build a new class of record-breaking instruments.

"Kondo metamagnet" is first in a family of eccentric quantum crystals

Ultrafast manipulation of material properties with light could stimulate the development of novel electronics, including quantum computers.

With a twist and a squeeze, researchers discover a new method to manipulate the electrical conductivity of this game-changing "wonder material."

Promising technique could be used to turn light into electricity and electricity into light.

State-of-the-art instrument will be used in materials and next-generation magnet research.

A young computer programmer was surprised by not one, but two awards for building systems crucial to running the lab's magnets.

In a hydrogen-packed compound squeezed to ultra-high pressures, scientists have observed electrical current with zero resistance tantalizingly close to room temperature.

In a crystalline structure that locks a heavy atom in a metal cage, scientists find a key to materials that can turn heat into electricity, and vice versa.

The compact coil could lead to a new generation of magnets for biomedical research, nuclear fusion reactors and many applications in between.

Emergence of unusual metallic state supports role of "charge stripes" in formation of charge-carrier pairs essential to resistance-free flow of electrical current.

A new study reveals a suite of quantum Hall states that have not been seen previously, shedding new light on the nature of electron interactions in quantum systems and establishing a potential new platform for future quantum computers.

Move aside, electrons; it's time to make way for the trion.

Rising from his post as deputy director, Mark Meisel plans to introduce new instruments and techniques to the facility.

In a uranium-based compound once dismissed as boring, scientists watched superconductivity arise, perish, then return to life under the influence of high magnetic fields.

MagLab Chief Scientist Laura Greene recognized by the Tallahassee Scientific Society for her exemplary career achievements in science and contributions to science education and outreach.

The successful test of concept shows that the novel design, using a high-temperature superconductor, could help power tomorrow's particle accelerators, fusion machines and research magnets.

A new experimental technique allowed physicists to precisely probe the electron spins of an intriguing compound and uncover unexpected behavior.

Marcelo Jaime recognized for his contributions to experimental physics in high magnetic fields.

Tallahassee Company MagCorp to Partner with National MagLab.

A story of synergistic science showcases how theory and experimental research teamed up to yield first direct evidence of the nature of superconductivity in a promising material called magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene.

Made with high-temperature superconductors, the National MagLab's newest instrument offers researchers strength and stability to explore quantum materials.

The experiment is the first to use the new duplex magnet at the National MagLab's Pulsed Field Facility at Los Alamos.

Greg Boebinger, director of the Florida State University-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, has been named a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers define calculation framework to explain why electrons traveling in any direction in a strange metal follow the "Planckian limit.”

Laura Greene is joining a prestigious group of advisors on US science and technology. 

New research has potential applications in quantum computing and introduces a new way to measure the secrets of superconductivity.

MagLab users have discovered that magnetism is key to understanding the behavior of electrons in high-temperature superconductors.

Using a special technique performed in the MagLab's high fields, researchers have uncovered a method to understand spin ice materials.

Work connecting physics, chemistry and materials science illustrates new methods to yield materials with quantum properties.

Game-changing technology may hold the key to ever-stronger magnets needed by scientists.

A new record for a trapped field in a superconductor could herald the arrival of materials in a broad range of fields.

MagLab analysis finds the space rock is among the most complex materials.

The new superconducting material, called potassium tantalate, is capable of withstanding substantial magnetic fields.

Researchers now have a better understanding of how even a slight tug changes the marvel material.

The award recognizes those who've had an "outstanding, widespread, and lasting impact on the teaching of physics."

A team of MagLab scientists has been working on the superconducting wires for new electromagnets that will improve physics research at the Large Hadron Collider.

MagLab theoretical physicists uncovered unique properties of iron monoxide which may play a role in transferring heat from Earth’s core to the surface.

MagLab researchers are working to investigate platinum group metals using the world’s most powerful Nuclear Magnetic Resonance systems.

Our magnets are like world-class athletes: powerful, but to stay in scientific shape, they need to eat and drink – a lot.

A scientist taps the sun's ancient power for cutting-edge research.

After a series of frustrating failures, a team of MagLab scientists realized they were tackling the wrong problem.

A material that you may never have heard of could be paving the way for a new electronic revolution.

Deep in their beautiful lattices, crystals hold secrets about the future of technology and science. Ryan Baumbach aims to find them.

At the National MagLab, scientists have been experimenting for years on materials first dreamed up by the newest physics Nobel laureates decades ago.

Using high-field electromagnets, scientists explore a promising alternative to the increasingly expensive rare earth element - neodymium - widely used in motors.

How do you keep the world's largest magnet lab clean? With a super-sized cyborg, of course! 

MagLab experts fine-tuned a furnace for pressure-cooking a novel superconducting magnet. Now they're about to build its big brother.

Two MagLab teams tried marrying vastly different technologies to build a new type of magnet: the Series Connected Hybrid. Decades later, has the oddball pairing panned out?

Can thin films be designed for future quantum technologies? With a prestigious prize from the National Science Foundation, MagLab physicist Christianne Beekman wants to find out. 

Undergrad streamlines maintenance routine with touch-screen technology

Scientists probing the exotic, 2D realm are discovering astonishing behaviors that could revolutionize our 3D world.

When physicists studied a superconducting material at very high fields, they were pleasantly amazed by what they saw.

Why do electrons behave bizarrely near the surface of some materials? At the dividing line between two things, there’s often no hard line at all. Rather, there’s a system, phenomenon or region rich in diversity or novel behavior — something entirely different from the two things that created it.

In physics, researchers are probing different kinds of super small nano-molecules for properties that will lead to the next generation of electronics.

Tangles of interlaced magnetic fields hold promise for use as a basic unit in electronic information storage and quantum computing.

Meet Jiaqi Cai, researcher from the University of Washington, and learn more about how the MagLab's DC Field magnets help him explore topological materials.

What's it like to be a remote user at the National MagLab? Learn from this frequent MagLab user who performed experiments on the 32T from across the country. 

This frequent MagLab visitor talks about the allure of sci-fi, the road not taken as an engineer, and how he acts like a scientist, even when he’s off the clock.

This MagLab user talks about meeting Leonardo da Vinci, making magnetic soup and the freedom of being a scientist.

Nicolas Doiron-Leyraud of Canada's Université de Sherbrooke talks about his recent experiments on cuprate superconductors, why he chose physics over philosophy, and what makes the MagLab a great place to do science.

A faraday cage is an important tool for some scientists at the MagLab. But they don't workwithit — they work inside it.

This modest-looking tank is a MagLab hero in disguise.

A scientist combines high magnetic fields with ultra short laser pulses to probe the mysteries of photosynthesis.

The intriguing structure and properties of a uranium alloy hold clues about some of the most interesting and promising materials studied by physicists today.

One of the best tools for testing new materials for the next generation of research magnets is a MagLab magnet.

Two researchers play with nanostructures in a fun, fertile physics playground: the space between two things.

Physicist Ross McDonald pushes experimental boundaries with his work in Los Alamos.