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At least 91 records · Page 5
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DOE OSTI2024

Planar Thermal Hall Effect from Phonons in Cuprates

A surprising “planar” thermal Hall effect, whereby the field is parallel to the current, has recently been observed in a few magnetic insulators; this effect has been attributed to exotic excitations such as Majorana fermions or chiral magnons. Here, we investigate the possibility of a planar thermal Hall effect in three different cuprate materials, in which the conventional thermal Hall conductivity 𝜅 xy (with an out-of-plane field perpendicular to the current) is dominated by either electrons or phonons. Our measurements show that the planar 𝜅 xy from electrons in cuprates is zero, as expected from the absence of a Lorentz force in the planar configuration. By contrast, we observe a sizable planar 𝜅 xy in those samples where the thermal Hall response is due to phonons, even though it should, in principle, be forbidden by the high crystal symmetry. Our findings call for a careful reexamination of the mechanisms responsible for the phonon thermal Hall effect in insulators.

Cuprates↗
DOE OSTI2024

FEM Analysis of Hybrid LTS/HTS Cos-Theta Dipole Magnet With Heterogeneous Cable Model

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) have published results on Bi-2212 superconductive magnets realized and tested in the canted cosine-theta and solenoid designs, respectively. Fermilab is now preparing for the assembly of the first Bi-2212 stress-managed cosine-theta insert magnet. The insert will be part of the first hybrid cosine-theta magnet made of Nb$_3$Sn outer layers within the US-MDP effort to reach a 20 T bore field. This paper presents the analytical analysis of the cosine-theta Nb$_3$Sn/Bi-2212 hybrid magnet. We report the parameters, logic, and implementation method of the 2D electromagnetic and mechanical FEM analysis of the LTS/HTS hybrid magnet. Results from a detailed heterogeneous model are compared to the homogeneous model implemented in the past. A Python code has been developed to simulate the current degradation due to stresses in the detail-modeled conductor areas. The current degradation has been introduced in the simulation dynamics for the HTS conductor as an iteration process, updating the input load of Lorentz forces of the energization at each step. The magnetic and mechanical analysis results of the 2D cosine-theta LTS/HTS dipole magnet have been described and analyzed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Challenges in Continuous In-Field Critical Current Testing of High-Temperature Superconducting Tapes: Thermal and Mechanical Perspectives

High-temperature superconductors (HTS) are essential for ultra-high-field applications requiring exceptional current-carrying capacity under extreme conditions. However, systematic characterization of critical current in long-length conductors remains challenging due to complex thermal, electromag netic, and mechanical interactions during continuous testing. This study reports the development of a continuous in-field magnetization testing system for position-dependent critical current measurement in HTS tapes at 20 K under 7.5 T fields applied normal to the tape plane, enabling identification of performance-limiting regions that could compromise magnet stability. Here, the system addresses two fundamental challenges inherent to cryogenic reel to-reel testing. First, thermal management requires continuous cooling of a moving conductor to 20 K, achieved through liquid nitrogen precooling combined with a 100 W@20 K Gifford McMahon cryocooler. Second, screening currents in high fields generate Lorentz forces that induce twisting, bowing, and potential delamination. To mitigate these risks, we propose mechanical reinforcement and active current density suppression strategies. Numerical simulations using the stream function formulation reveal four primary failure modes: frictional heating at guide interfaces, unstable equilibria causing deformation, transverse current-induced stresses at guide transitions, and unsupported forces in vertical spans. Our mitigation strategies include PTFE coated guides to minimize friction, spring-loaded stabilization mechanisms to maintain tape alignment, controlled pre-heating using the liquid nitrogen thermal jacket to suppress critical current at stress points, and optimized guide positioning to minimize force accumulation. The experimental system is nearing completion, with testing planned to commence within two months. Preliminary validation at 65 K under 0.5 T demonstrates strong correlation between simulation-predicted mechanical instabilities and observed critical current variations during conductor tran sitions through the measurement region. These findings establish a robust foundation for quality assurance protocols essential to next-generation superconducting magnet applications.

Chen, Siwei [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (↗
DOE OSTI2026

Design and Construction of a Superconducting “Direct Wind” R&D Magnet for the EIC Interaction Region

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) was chosen to host the international Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), which will collide high energy and highly polarized hadron and electron beams with a center of mass energy up to 140 GeV. The Interaction Region (IR) [1] requires several large aperture, relatively high field superconducting dipole and quadrupole magnets, some of which are very closely spaced.\r\nA value engineering effort is underway as part of the EIC Project to construct and test a Direct Wind magnet [2] (coil comprised of NbTi conductor deposited directly onto a support tube, in this instance tapered, and secured mechanically against Lorentz forces afterwards) to replace two Rutherford cable collared magnets. This magnet exceeds the combination of aperture, number of coil \r\nlayers, and magnetic field, as compared to existing accelerator and R&D Direct Wind magnets to date. Furthermore, construction has been completed using a newly commissioned winding machine, upgraded in anticipation of the upcoming EIC production coil fabrication. Design, analysis, construction issues, lessons learned and accomplishments to date shall be discussed, including the \r\nachieved corrections to multipoles made to successive coil layers based on warm magnetic measurements of preceding layers.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Modeling of Bi-2212 strand and Rutherford cable in a dipole coil insert

The U.S. Magnet Development Program (US-MDP) explores high-field accelerator magnets compatible with op- erational conditions beyond the limits of Nb3Sn technology. The ongoing R&D High-Temperature Superconductors (HTS) suggests using Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8−x (Bi-2212) as superconducting element. Bi-2212 Rutherford cables maintain a high critical current (IC ) when exposed to a large external magnetic field. However, Bi-2122 exhibits an oversensitive stress-strain response when subject to large Lorentz forces. This paper reports on the magnetic and mechanical analysis of the Bi-2212 cosine-theta insert being developed at Fermilab for a hybrid magnet composed of 2 external layers of Nb3Sn and 2 internal layers of Bi-2212. We performed a FEM analysis of the insert to estimate the HTS stress state in the coil s strands under magnetic and mechanical loads.

D'Agliano, A.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Project Title: Demonstration High Temperature Superconducting NonPlanar Stellarator Magnet with Advanced Manufactured Assemblies

This is the final report for the project “Demonstration High Temperature Superconducting Non- Planar Stellarator Magnet with Advanced Manufactured Assemblies”, funded by DOE, and performed by Type One Energy from September, 2020, to March 2024 involving the Fusion Technology Institute at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) to design and fabricate the first non-planar HTS (REBCO) coil for a high-field stellarator based on the SPARC tokamak’s VIPER cable concept. Stellarators at high fields make high-temperature superconducting magnets necessary for a compact fusion device. But the asymmetric and non-planar nature of its components, especially the magnets make it difficult for scalable producibility. To address these challenges, two promising technologies have emerged: advanced manufacturing (AM) for the supporting plates for forming the magnets, and high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cables inside the plates. AM has advanced enough to produce stellarator components with the necessary geometric complexity, size, and the precision, leading to potentially significant reductions in production time, cost, and waste. The cost of HTS tape has decreased dramatically, and progress in HTS planar magnet development has reached a point where it can be proposed for application to complex 3D non-planar magnets. The main objective of this project is to develop, demonstrate and pre-commercialize a novel, non-planar HTS coil shape that remains superconducting to achieve production scalable reductions in time and cost and performance. The proposed technology is based on the novel concept of a precision sub-scale HTS nonplanar coil assembly. This project focuses on the design, fabrication, material optimization of cable design, and validation and demonstration of the high current carrying capability of superconducting magnets and their support in a complex 3D shape needed for application to stellarator magnetic plasma confinement. The specific objectives of this research program include: (1) The successful application of metal AM to build a precision sub-scale HTS nonplanar coil, (2) An HTS cable and cross-section design that can conform to the required nonplanar coil shape (bend radii as tight as 10-cm) and remains superconducting at an engineering current density of 1.35 kA/cm 2 at 77 K and 1 tesla at the conductor (5 kA in the cable). To achieve the above challenging goals, we have formed a multidisciplinary research team consisting of members from Type One Energy and UW-Madison, MIT PSFC and CFS with complementary skills and strong facilities. The team worked collaboratively on fundamental and applied research on the following three major technical areas: (1) Design, fabrication, and optimization of non-planar HTS Cable The ultimate goal of the project is to determine if commercial REBCO tapes and additive manufacturing can be used to fabricate high field (≥ 10T) non-planar coils with tight bending radii (≃ 100mm) and with a degradation of the critical current (Ic) smaller than 20% with respect to the expected performance. We started with shorter length cable to evaluate the scalability of the production process and eventually reached multiple turns for higher magnetic fields. Our findings suggest that a stellarator coil system of a relevant size, characterized by its asymmetric and non-planar components, can be fabricated using a formed cable in plate method. This system can be simulated using a large-scale modeling approach. The use of hybrid modeling 3 techniques will be pivotal in reducing the complexity of the model and in assessing expected performance in designs. (2) Modeling and simulation of the non-planar HTS Cable Multiphysics simulations are performed using the commercial software and are carried out in self-field conditions, involving 2D and 3D models and twisted around one slot of twist-pitched VIPER cable. Multiphysics simulations are mainly focused on the coil for the critical current evaluation, the magnetic field map, self-Lorentz forces and mechanical, and magnetothermal behavior and the quench dynamics. The detailed model and prediction of the superconducting performance of a stellarator-relevant demonstration cable from numerical simulations supports the results from the actual testing backing the results. A detailed description and results are provided in the later sections. (3) Design, fabrication, and optimization of support for the non-planar HTS Cable The team developed an additive manufactured (AM) coil positioning plate that formed into the required non-planar geometry (with bend radii as tight as 10-cm) and to acceptable tolerances required for a stellarator magnet: (+0.25-mm from ideal on dimensions of coil positioning plates and up to +1-mm from ideal for position of wound coil). The plate materials is also included in this selection process from fabrication and 3D printing perspective and commensurate with eventual application to a fusion reactor. From the cost effectiveness point of view, the HTS coil and plate has the potential to cost less than that made in conventional methods with less waste (<75% waste) reducing time (<50%) and cost (<50%), especially as the AM field matures. The application of advanced manufacturing in the construction of the support plates will also lead to cost reduction, as the cables can be easily replaced, thereby making the assembly modular. With such high primary cost and time savings, high current densities and magnetic field, the funded R&D work has validated the designs, proven the feasibility, and characterized the performance of the HTS coil and plate assembly, paving the way for a relevant-size stellarator coil system.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Development of an FGPA-Based Cavity Simulator for Testing RF Controls

LLRF is used to precisely control the amplitude and phase of the RF field in cavities. Often times, access to test the control algorithms with RF equipment, especially in the presence of beam, is limited or beyond reach. In such cases, testing must be done through computer modeling or simulations. Computer modeling is often too slow and difficult to interface with the LLRF hardware. Analog or digital cavity simulators are preferred as they allow for interaction with the LLRF controls platform in real-time, and compared to their analog counterparts, FPGA-based digital cavity simulators allow for a more adjustable and sophisticated implementation. The newly developed FPGA-based cavity simulator includes the cavity electrical model, the cavity mechanical model including Lorentz Force Detuning and microphonics, an amplifier model which can simulate real amplifier nonlinearities, and a beam model. The simulator has been validated using measurements from BNL’s CeC 704 MHz 5-cell SRF cryomodule.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

A research program to measure the lifetime of spin polarized fuel

The use of spin polarized fuel could increase the deuterium-tritium (D-T) fusion cross section by a factor of 1.5 and, owing to alpha heating, increase the fusion power by an even larger factor. Issues associated with the use of polarized fuel in a reactor are identified. Theoretically, nuclei remain polarized in a hot fusion plasma. The similarity between the Lorentz force law and the Bloch equations suggests polarization can be preserved despite the rich electromagnetic spectrum present in a magnetic fusion device. The most important depolarization mechanisms can be tested in existing devices. The use of polarized deuterium and 3 He in an experiment avoids the complexities of handling tritium, while encompassing the same nuclear reaction spin-physics, making it a useful proxy to study issues associated with full D-T implementation. 3 He fuel with 65% polarization can be prepared by permeating optically-pumped 3 He into a shell pellet. Dynamically polarized 7 Li-D pellets can achieve 70% vector polarization for the deuterium. Cryogenically-frozen pellets can be injected into fusion facilities by special injectors that minimize depolarizing field gradients. Alternatively, polarized nuclei could be injected as a neutral beam. Once injected, the lifetime of the polarized fuel is monitored through measurements of escaping charged fusion products. Multiple experimental scenarios to measure the polarization lifetime in the DIII-D tokamak and other magnetic-confinement facilities are discussed, followed by outstanding issues that warrant further study.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Identification of Kelvin-Helmholtz generated vortices in magnetised fluids

The Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability (KHI), arising from velocity shear across the magnetopause, plays a significant role in the viscous-like transfer of mass, momentum, and energy from the shocked solar wind into the magnetosphere. While the KHI leads to growth of surface waves and vortices, suitable detection methods for these applicable to magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) are currently lacking. A novel method is derived based on the well-established λ-family of hydrodynamic vortex identification techniques, which define a vortex as a local minimum in an adapted pressure field. The J × B Lorentz force is incorporated into this method by using an effective total pressure in MHD, including both magnetic pressure and a pressure-like part of the magnetic tension derived from a Helmholtz decomposition. The λ MHD method is shown to comprise of four physical effects: vortical momentum, density gradients, fluid compressibility, and the rotational part of the magnetic tension. A local three-dimensional MHD simulation representative of near-flank magnetopause conditions (plasma β’s 0.5 – 5 and convective Mach numbers M f ∼ 0.4) under northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is used to validate λ MHD . Analysis shows it correlates well with hydrodynamic vortex definitions, though the level of correlation decreases with vortex evolution. Overall, vortical momentum dominates λ MHD at all times. During the linear growth phase, density gradients act to oppose vortex formation. By the highly nonlinear stage, the formation of small-scale structures leads to a rising importance of the magnetic tension. Compressibility was found to be insignificant throughout. Finally, a demonstration of this method adapted to tetrahedral spacecraft observations is performed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

A Unified Beam-Dynamics and Hardware Design Framework for Hybrid Nonlinear-Kicker Injection in NSLS-II

Nonlinear kickers (NLKs) enable off-axis injection in ultralow-emittance storage rings by providing a strong kick to the injected beam while remaining nearly transparent to the stored beam. In hybrid schemes, a conventional four-kicker bump defines the injected trajectory, and the NLK reduces the first-turn action under constrained beam offset and optics conditions. Effective operation additionally requires stable and reproducible first-turn injection trajectories. We develop a compact action–angle framework that expresses NLK dynamics in terms of Courant–Snyder invariants and yields an analytical bound on achievable action reduction. This formulation provides direct design rules for NLK placement, phase advance, injected-beam offset, and kicker field profile. Within this framework, we identify the 8-wire NLK as a practical baseline and extend its design by relaxing the square-geometry constraint, enabling inward shifting of the off-axis field peak while preserving on-axis field and gradient cancellation. Application to the NSLS-II lattice shows how aperture, pulsed-power, and mechanical constraints combine to determine a coupled design solution. Multi-turn tracking confirms that candidate NLK locations maintain sufficient stay-clear (aperture-clearance) margin, while the optimized wire geometry reduces the required current and Lorentz force load. The results establish a unified approach for NLK-assisted injection design and provide a practical pathway for upgrades in diffraction-limited storage rings.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Predicting Electrical Conductivity in Bi-Metal Composites

Generating high magnetic fields requires materials with not only high electric conductivity but also good strength properties in order to withstand the necessarily strong Lorentz forces. A number of bi-metal composites, most notably Cu/Nb, are considered to be good candidates for this purpose. Here, we generalize our previous work on Cu/Nb in order to predict, from theory, the dependence of electric conductivity on the microstructure and volume fraction of the less conductive component for a number of other bi-metal composites. Together with information on strength properties (taken from previous literature), the conductivity information we provide in this work can help to identify new promising candidate materials (such as Cu/Nb, Cu/Ag, Cu/W, …) for magnet applications with the highest achievable field strengths.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1969

Properties of magnetically balanced arcs

Magnetically balanced arcs in supersonic external flows, indicating central core with differential Lorentz forces analogous to Grashof number in free convection phenomena

Kuethe, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS1971

The solar envelope

Processes which occur within the region between approximately 2 solar radii and 25 solar radii, which is called the solar envelope and the effect on the solar wind as seen at 1 AU are discussed. In the envelope the wind speed becomes supersonic and super-Alfvenic, the magnetic energy density is larger than the flow energy density, and the magnetic energy density is much larger than the thermal energy density. Large azimuthal gradients in the bulk speed are expected in the envelope, but the stream interactions near the outer edge of the envelope are probably relatively small. Cosmic ray observations suggest the presence of hydromagnetic waves in the envelope. The collisionless damping of such waves could heat protons out to approximately 25 solar radii and thereby cause an increase in V and T sub p consistent with the observed T sub p -V relation. A mechanism which couples protons and electrons would also heat and accelerate the wind. Alfven waves can accelerate the wind in the envelope without necessarily causing heating of protons; the Lorentz force might have a similar effect.

Burlaga, L. F.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Magnetically actuated tuning method for Gunn oscillators

A tunable microwave generator based on the Gunn effect is disclosed. The generator includes a semiconductor material which exhibits the Gunn effect when current flows between anode and cathode end contacts. The material has a plurality of sides each with a scratch at a different distance from the anode contact. A magnetic field is produced by a magnet placed about the semiconductor field. The Lorentz force produced as a function of the current flow and the magnetic field drive the electrons to the surface of one of the sides to cause nucleation to occur at the scratch. A domain formed thereat travels to the anode contact to provide pulses at a frequency which is related to the distance between the scratch and the anode contact.

Sacks, B. H.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Generation of large scale field-aligned density irregularities in ionospheric heating experiments

Threshold and growth rate for stimulated Brillouin scattering are calculated for a uniform magnetoplasma. These are then compared with the threshold and growth rate of a new thermal instability in which the nonlinear Lorentz force felt by the electrons at the beat frequency of the two electromagnetic waves is replaced by a pressure force due to differential heating in the interference pattern of the pump wave and the generated electromagnetic wave. This thermal instability, which is still essentially stimulated Brillouin scattering, has a threshold which is especially low when the propagation vector of the beat wave is almost normal to the magnetic field. The threshold is then considerably lower than the threshold for normal stimulated Brillouin scattering and therefore this new instability is probably responsible for the generation of large scale field aligned irregularities and ionospheric spread F.

Fejer, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Acceleration of charged particles in oblique MHD shocks

The motion of high energy charged particles in ideal oblique MHD shocks has been studied extensively. The orbits of charged particles can be solved exactly from Lorentz force equation. It is found that a charged particle may cross the shock front many times before it leaves the shock and it is energized during crossings. The most energetic particles are those with initial pitch and phase near the boundary between crossing and reflected particles. The reflected particles cross the shock about twice as many times as the passing particles do. The energy gain increases for larger values of shock strength and speed. If reflection occurs, the energy gain is larger for smaller angles between the field and shock surface. The introduction of scattering results in a few more higher energy particles.

Chen, G.↗