Ultra low resistance joints for high temperature superconducting magnets

The next generation of ultra-high field magnets for applications in healthcare and materials characterisation will need us to take advantage of the exceptional properties of high temperature superconducting materials. One of the most challenging design features in these magnets is the requirement for joints between individual lengths of superconducting wire that allow the passage of persistent currents (resistances less than 10^-14 Ohms!) in very high magnetic fields. This project will work closely with our industrial partners Oxford Instruments to design novel processes to form joints between commercial wires of the Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈ superconducting phase, and to measure their performance under real engineering conditions. There will be opportunities for the student to spend time in the laboratories of Oxford Instruments, and to become an expert in the correlation of microstructure with superconducting properties of materials critical for future magnet designs.