Electromagneto-mechanical model of high temperature superconductor insert magnets in ultra high magnetic fields

Second-Generation High Temperature Superconducting (2G HTS) tapes are considered to be the main candidates for the development of future ultra high DC magnetic field magnets. In such application, the usability of the HTS magnets can be strongly impaired by large screening currents developed in the flat strip of the tapes. These currents lead to the generation of a Screening Current Induced Field (SCIF) that can deteriorate the performance by affecting the stability and the homogeneity of the magnetic field. Besides the SCIF, there is also the likely mechanical degradation of the tapes under the action of large Lorentz forces. The mechanical degradation and the presence of large screening currents intertwine to affect the reliable operation of 2G HTS magnets. To study those combined issues, an electromagneto-mechanical model based on tensile mechanical characterization of short samples was built to simulate the coupled electromagnetic and mechanical behaviour of insert magnets made of 2G HTS tapes under very high magnetic field. The coupling is carried out by considering the dependence of the n index and the critical current density Jc on the local relative deformation in addition to the magnetic flux density. The case study is the Little Big Coil (LBC, version 3) which broke the world record of the strongest continuous magnetic field achieved to this date. An analysis of the electromagneto-mechanical behavior of the LBC is conducted on the basis of information extracted from literature to show that the proposed model can assess the current magnitude at which the insert magnet quenched. Additionally, it is shown that the model can also provide some insights on the impact of the mechanical degradation of the tape on the SCIF hysteresis loop. The studies are conducted on the original LBC and on versions that include additional modifications such as harnessing and co- winding with rigid metallic tapes. These modifications are employed to limit the mechanical degradation of the HTS insert magnet under ultra high magnetic field. They are expected to deliver extra safety margin to 2G HTS insert magnets.

Spatially Highly Resolved Solar-wind-induced Magnetic Field on Venus

The current work investigates the Venusian solar-wind-induced magnetosphere at a high spatial resolution using all Venus Express (VEX) magnetic observations through an unbiased statistical method. We first evaluate the predictability of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) during VEX’s Venusian magnetospheric transits and then map the induced field in a cylindrical coordinate system under different IMF conditions. Our mapping resolves structures on various scales, ranging from the ionopause to the classical IMF draping. We also resolve two recently reported structures, a low-ionosphere magnetization over the terminator, and a global “looping” structure in the near magnetotail. In contrast to the reported IMF-independent cylindrical magnetic field of both structures, our results illustrate their IMF dependence. In both structures, the cylindrical magnetic component is more intense in the hemisphere with an upward solar wind electric field (E SW) than in the opposite hemisphere. Under downward E SW, the looping structure even breaks, which is attributable to an additional draped magnetic field structure wrapping toward −E SW. In addition, our results suggest that these two structures are spatially separate. The low-ionosphere magnetization occurs in a very narrow region, at about 88°–95° solar zenith angle and 185–210 km altitude. A least-squares fit reveals that this structure is attributable to an antisunward line current with 191.1 A intensity at 179 ± 10 km altitude, developed potentially in a Cowling channel.

Screening current induced field characteristics of HTS quasi-isotropic and simply stacked strands in alternating magnetic field

The screening current induced field (SCIF) in the flat REBCO coated conductors (REBCO CCs) so called 2G HTS tapes cause undesirable effects in multiple applications. Their existence reduces the spatial uniformity and temporal stability of magnetic fields for applications of superconducting magnets. In this paper, we numerically and experimentally investigate the characterization of the screening current and SCIF of quasi-isotropic strand (Q-IS) and simply stacked strand (SSS) under external alternating magnetic field with various amplitudes, orientations, and excitation rates. The two-dimensional finite element method (2D FEM) based on T-A formulation is adopted for simulation, the Q-IS and SSS samples are fabricated for experiments. The field angle is in the range of 0° to 90° at intervals of 15°, the excitation rate varies from 20 mT/s to 800 mT/s. We display the distribution of screening current in both strands under various field amplitudes and orientations. Then the dependence of SCIF on the amplitude and orientation of external field is studied, respectively. The spatial distribution of SCIF of both strands with different amplitudes and angles of the external field are also discussed. Besides, we analyze the properties of SCIF under various excitation rates. As a result, the SCIF of Q-IS is much smaller and has quasi-isotropic distribution comparing with SSS, which represents that Q-IS has relative smaller screening effect. The spatial point with the largest SCIF of Q-IS locates at the corner of the strand and is independent of the external field, but the corresponding point in SSS varies with the angle and amplitude. The Q-IS is also less susceptible to the change of rate. Therefore, Q-IS has more advantages when the screening effect is considered in superconducting applications.

Electromagnetic processes in an anisotropically electrically conducting liquid in a running magnetic field

Objective: Purpose is the study electromagnetic processes in an electrically conducting liquid (with anisotropic conductivity) flowing in the channel of an MHD-alternator under the acting of a running magnetic field. Methods: We used Maxwell's equations to describe the electromagnetic processes. Galerkin method is used to determine the current functions. Results: For the case of small values of the magnetic Reynolds number the equations for the induced field and currents in an electrical conducting liquid are given in the form of converging power series. It is shown that for a sufficiently accurate determination of the current functions it is necessary to take into account the first three terms of the series. The first two terms of the other series must be taken into account to determi-nate the solution for the induced field. It is revealed that the induced currents in an electrically conducting liquid consist of currents of zero, main and double frequencies. The currents of zero and double frequencies play a negative role since they lead to an increase in joule losses and the for-mation of forces. These forces do not make the useful work. To reduce them the side walls of the channel should be conductive. We established that the anisotropy of the electrical conductivity of the liquid causes a decrease the currents of the main frequency. Practical importance: The magnet-ic Reynolds number significantly affects the field distribution in a liquid metal. The field of the main frequency increases with its increase and the fields of zero and double frequency become smaller. At the small values of Reynolds number the Hall effect is stronger and the field distribution is less symmetrical. At large values the field distribution is symmetrized due to a decrease in the zero and doub¬le frequency fields.

Focusing light into scattering media with ultrasound-induced field perturbation

Focusing light into scattering media, although challenging, is highly desirable in many realms. With the invention of time-reversed ultrasonically encoded (TRUE) optical focusing, acousto-optic modulation was demonstrated as a promising guidestar mechanism for achieving noninvasive and addressable optical focusing into scattering media. Here, we report a new ultrasound-assisted technique, ultrasound-induced field perturbation optical focusing, abbreviated as UFP. Unlike in conventional TRUE optical focusing, where only the weak frequency-shifted first-order diffracted photons due to acousto-optic modulation are useful, here UFP leverages the brighter zeroth-order photons diffracted by an ultrasonic guidestar as information carriers to guide optical focusing. We find that the zeroth-order diffracted photons, although not frequency-shifted, do have a field perturbation caused by the existence of the ultrasonic guidestar. By detecting and time-reversing the differential field of the frequency-unshifted photons when the ultrasound is alternately ON and OFF, we can focus light to the position where the field perturbation occurs inside the scattering medium. We demonstrate here that UFP optical focusing has superior performance to conventional TRUE optical focusing, which benefits from the more intense zeroth-order photons. We further show that UFP optical focusing can be easily and flexibly developed into double-shot realization or even single-shot realization, which is desirable for high-speed wavefront shaping. This new method upsets conventional thinking on the utility of an ultrasonic guidestar and broadens the horizon of light control in scattering media. We hope that it provides a more efficient and flexible mechanism for implementing ultrasound-guided wavefront shaping.

Optically Induced Field-Emission Source Based on Aligned Vertical Carbon Nanotube Arrays

Due to the high field enhancement factor and photon-absorption efficiency, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely used in optically induced field-emission as a cathode. Here, we report vertical carbon nanotube arrays (VCNTAs) that performed as high-density electron sources. A combination of high applied electric field and laser illumination made it possible to modulate the emission with laser pulses. When the bias electric field and laser power density increased, the emission process is sensitive to a power law of the laser intensity, which supports the emission mechanism of optically induced field emission followed by over-the-barrier emission. Furthermore, we determine a polarization dependence that exhibits a cosine behavior, which verifies the high possibility of optically induced field emission.

“Thermal Eraser” to Mitigate Screening Current by Optimal Control on Spatial Temperature Distribution in a High Temperature Superconductor Magnet

The so-called “screening current” in high temperature superconductor (HTS) is a well-known phenomenon that has detrimental effects on performance of an HTS magnet. To date, many research efforts have been devoted to suppressing screening current in an HTS magnet. Here we report a customized electric-heater, named “Thermal Eraser”, to mitigate the screening current. The key idea is to optimally control spatial temperature distribution in an HTS magnet using the customized heater and the consequent temperature-dependent local critical current of HTS wires of the magnet. To validate the idea, a Thermal Eraser was designed, constructed, and installed in an actual single-pancake HTS coil. And the Thermal Eraser plus test coil system was operated at temperatures ranging 7-40 K in our in-house conduction-cooling cryogenic facility. The feasibility of the Thermal Eraser was demonstrated in terms of two aspects: 1) creation of the designated spatial temperature distribution within the HTS test coil as designed; and 2) quantitative evaluation of its effectiveness to mitigate screening current using both experimental and numerical results. We confirmed that the screening current induced field in the test coil was reduced by 0.6 mT after activation of the Thermal Eraser, which implies 60% reduction of screening current in the HTS test coil. The results demonstrate that the Thermal Eraser is a viable option to effectively reduce the screening current in an HTS magnet.

Interactions of Ruddlesden-Popper Phases and Migration-Induced Field-Stabilized Polar Phase in Strontium Titanate

This work focuses on the validation of a possible connection of the known Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) phases and the novel concept of the migration-induced field-stabilized polar (MFP) phase. To study this subject, model structures of RP phases in bulk strontium titanate are analyzed by means of density functional theory (DFT). The obtained geometries are compared to experimental MFP data. Good agreement can be found concerning atomic displacements in the pm range and lattice strain inferred by the RP phases. Looking at the energy point of view, the defect structures are on the convex hull of the Gibb’s free energy. Although the dynamics to form the discussed defect models are not addressed in detail, the interplay and stability of the described defect model will add to the possible structure scenarios within the near-surface region of strontium titanate. As a result, it can be suggested that RP phases generally favor the MFP formation.