Germans, who are known for producing the most promising ad efficient mechanical and electrical designs, have lately created the strongest magnetic field in one of their labs. This new development is considered as a new world record and was created by the researchers at the High Magnetic Field Laboratory Dresden (HZDR).
For developing such a structure, the researchers used a 2-layer, 440 pound copper coil, which is almost equal to the size of a water bucket. By their unique design, they were able to break the previous record of magnetic field produced (89 teslas) by creating 91.4 Teslas. The field created lasted on for a fraction of a second.
The figure given below shows a U.S Navy sailor coiling the wire for an electric motor. The same process was carried out in the German lab, where the 440 pound copper coil was wrapped to produce a very strong magnetic field and hence a highly powerful electromagnet.
- Strong Magnetic Field
The 91.4 teslas produced by the electromagnet is very high when compared to a conventional copper coil used for industrial purposes that produces something less than 15 teslas. The same machine would just be ripped off if such a high amount of magnetic field (> 30 teslas) would pass through it. The reason is that the current and hence the magnetic field it produces can work at cross purposes at higher energies. Though the electric current that flows through the coil is responsible for producing the high intensity magnetic field, the very same magnetic field resists against the flow of electrons through the coil. Thus when a high value of teslas is needed, the current value becomes high. This causes more resistance by the magnetic field. This increase in current and resistance becomes so high that it goes beyond a certain threshold and causes the magnet to just rip itself apart.
For the magnet used in the lab to resist the ripping feature due to the heavy magnetic field, the researchers used a fabricated corset produced from high-tensile fibers to cover the coil. The very same fiber is usually used for making body armours. This coating helped the coil to withstand almost 50 teslas for a fraction of a second. Since, they were sure to produce some value near 100 teslas, they added one more magnet which was again wrapped with the coil. This coil was also coated with high-tensile fiber. This magnet could only withstand a magnetic field around 45 teslas, but when combined with the 50 tesla withstanding magnet could totally withstand more than 90 teslas for sure (not for more than a few miliseconds).
This record setting value has already caught the attention of many researchers all around the world. Due to their keen interest in experimenting with the machine, HZDR has decided to create 6 more powerful magnets over the coming years so that maximum people can study the extreme behavior of magnetism and thus contribute to science.
The researchers are aiming for bigger and stronger magnets so that highly accurate and powerful magnetic fields can be created in the labs. By creating such devices, we can easily create new tests and characterize the properties of new materials we create. For example, we could develop superconductors that transports electrons regularly around with null resistance.
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