China's Steady High Magnetic Field Facility (SHMFF) has developed a resistive magnet that produces a magnetic field of 42.02 tesla, surpassing the previous record of 41.4 tesla established by Florida's National High Magnetic Field Lab in 2017. To put this into perspective, this magnet generates a magnetic field approximately 800,000 times more potent than the Earth's natural magnetic field.
Advancements in Scientific Research
This milestone allows researchers to explore new forms of matter and enhance scientific instruments' sensitivity. According to physicist Joachim Wosnitza from a lab in Dresden, increased magnetic fields provide scientists with better opportunities to discover new types of matter and manipulate materials in innovative ways that were previously unattainable.
Power Consumption and Magnet Preferences
Despite the SHMFF magnet's remarkable capabilities, it consumes a significant amount of energy—32.3 megawatts, to be precise. Nevertheless, resistive magnets are still the preferred choice because they can sustain these intense magnetic fields for longer periods compared to superconducting magnets, and they allow for quicker adjustments in field strength.
Global Research Opportunities
The facility offers researchers from around the globe the chance to utilize this magnet for advanced materials testing, particularly in the field of superconductors. In addition, the team is currently developing hybrid and fully superconducting designs aimed at achieving the same level of magnetic field strength but with reduced energy consumption.
In 2022, China unveiled a hybrid magnet that reached 45.22 tesla, while a prototype from a US National Lab briefly achieved 45.5 tesla in 2019. However, creating low-energy systems that are dependable, economical, and adequately cool remains a significant engineering challenge.
