SUPERCONDUCTIVITY...is it real??
Background:
i) Experiments in high-magnetic-fields:
Members of the superconductivity group in Durham have published arguably the most
important JC(B,T,ε) data on superconducting materials and developed a new theoretical scaling
law which successfully combines phenomenological and microscopic theory. These data
characterise the supercurrent density that a material can carry as a function of the magneticfield,
temperature and strain. We have recently installed a 15 Tesla Helmholtz-like split-pair
horizontal superconducting magnet system which is unparalleled in the university sector world-wide.
This opens the exciting possibility of making JC(B,T,ε) measurements on anisotropic
superconductors materials - which will be extremely valuable for developing our fundamental
understanding and optimisation of new technological applications.
For the best experiments, we combine world-class commercially available equipment with
probes that have been designed and built in-house. Commercial cryogenic equipment in-house
includes two high-field magnet systems, a fully equipped PPMS system, a new high-pressure
system and a He-3 system. The world-class high field facilities and instruments are supported by a
number of specialist probes designed and built in-house for making strain, magnetic, resistive
and optical measurements on superconductors. For example, the JC(B,T,ε) data were obtained
using an instrument built in Durham for use in our 17 Tesla vertical magnet system and for use
in international high-field facilities in Grenoble, France.
ii) Fabricating high-field nanocrystalline superconductors:
Members of the superconductivity group in Durham pioneered the discovery of a new class of
nanocrystalline superconductivity materials with exceptionally good tolerance to high magnetic
field.
These materials provide a new paradigm for high-field conductors which has been
patented and then published in the premier Physics journals. Equipment in-house includes
DSC, DTA, XRD, glove box, a range of milling machines and furnaces as well a HIP operating
at pressures of 2000 atmospheres and up to 2000 C. The upper critical field in Chevrel phase
superconducting materials was increased from 60 T (Tesla) to more than 100 T and in elemental
niobium from ~ 1 T to ~ 3 T. This work involves fundamental and applied scientific investigations
into nanocrystalline high-field materials where the important length scales for superconductivity are
similar to the length scales for the microstructure and is focussed on fabricating and understanding the
physics of this new class of high magnetic field superconductors.
Supercurrents in horizontal high magnetic fields:
Superconductivity is the enabling technology for the $10B ITER project that the Department of Energy
in the USA concluded is the most important large scale project in the world during the next 20 years.
About one third of the cost is the superconducting magnets that will hold the burning plasma scheduled
to ignite in 2018. Last year we installed in the Durham Physics Dept. a 15 Tesla split-pair horizontal
magnet system which is unparalleled in the university sector world-wide. In this Ph.D. project we intend
to measure and understand the supercurrent that can flow in superconducting materials in high magnetic
fields. The new magnet system opens the possibility of making detailed angular current measurements
for the first time on HTS materials. These measurements will provide the possibility of understanding
the critical issue of why supercurrent densities in high fields remain more than three orders of magnitude
below theoretical limits.
D. M. J. Taylor and Damian P. Hampshire - The scaling law for the strain-dependence of the
critical current density in Nb3Sn superconducting wires - Supercond. Sci. Tech 18 (2005) S241-
S252
Contact: Prof. Damian Hampshire d.p.hampshire@durham.ac.uk
Research project: Nanocrystalline Superconductivity:
Members of the superconductivity group in Durham pioneered the discovery of a new class of
nanocrystalline superconductivity materials with exceptionally good tolerance to high magnetic field.
These materials provide a new paradigm for high-field conductors which has been patented and then
published in the premier Physics journals. Equipment in-house includes DSC, DTA, XRD, glove box, a
range of milling machines and furnaces as well a HIP operating at pressures of 2000 atmospheres and up
to 2000 C.
The upper critical field in Chevrel phase superconducting materials was increased from 60 T
(Tesla) to more than 100 T and in elemental niobium from ~ 1 T to ~ 3 T. In this work, we control the
microstructure (grain boundaries and defects) on the length scale of the superconducting coherence
length to increase the resistivity and hence the tolerance of the superconductors to high magnetic fields.
This research Ph.D. project will involve fundamental and applied scientific investigations into
nanocrystalline high-field materials where the important length scales for superconductivity are similar
to the length scales for the microstructure and will be focussed on fabricating and understanding the
physics of this new class of high magnetic field superconductors.
D. M. J. Taylor, M. Al-Jawad and D. P. Hampshire - A new paradigm for fabricating bulk highfield
superconductors- Supercond. Sci. Tech 21 (2008) 125006
Contact: Prof. Damian Hampshire d.p.hampshire@durham.ac.uk
Also available:
Research project: Theoretical ab initio Computational Studies of Electron-Phonon
structure in Nanocrystalline Metals and Superconductors
The practical use of metals has been used to characterise different eras in Man’s development
(e.g. Bronze age). Advanced theoretical ab initio computational studies of the electronic structure
of materials have played a vital role in understanding the physics of band-structures and the
development of opto-electronic devices. These calculations have predominantly been for
semiconducting materials at zero-temperature. This research project will be directed at including
phonons in electronic structure calculations for the first time. We intend to develop ab-initio
computational tools to make detailed calculations about the electron-phonon coupling and
structure in micro- and nanocrystalline materials. Detailed calculations will provide a better
understanding of critical materials properties such as the macroscopic properties embodied in
phase diagrams, microscopic properties such as strong electron-phonon coupling and transport
properties such as resistivity. Calculations will be made for simple metals such as lithium, wellstudied
materials such as gold and important technological materials such as the high-field
superconductors Nb3Sn, NbC0.3N0.7 and Y1Ba2Cu3O7.
S. J. Clark, M. D. Segall, C. J. Pickard, P. J. Hasnip, M. J. Probert, K. Refson, and M. C. Payne,
First principles methods using CASTEP Zeitschrift für kristallographie 220, 567 (2005).
Contact: Prof. Damian Hampshire d.p.hampshire@durham.ac.uk
Research project: The Optical Properties of Metals and Superconductors:
In the last three years, we have successfully developed in the Durham physics department, a high
sensitivity variable temperature optical instrument which has been designed, commissioned and
calibrated to measure the low intensity photoluminescence emission spectra from metals and
superconductors. Although metals have very weak luminescence, it is clear that sufficient
sensitivity can be achieved. This Ph.D. research project is directed at developing the instrument
further to make optical measurements down to temperatures below 10 K. We intend to measure
for the first time the temperature dependent optical properties of metals at low temperatures and
in particular probe the superconducting state in metallic and HTS superconductors.
H. Armstrong, D. Halliday and D. P. Hampshire - Photoluminescence of Gold, Copper and
Niobium as a function of temperature - Journal of Luminescence 129 1610-1614 (2009)
Contact: Prof. Damian Hampshire d.p.hampshire@durham.ac.uk
Ph.D.- Research project: Fundamental XRD, magnetic and transport studies on single
crystals of superconductors in high magnetic fields under high pressure
The Durham physics department has a long-standing expertise using the best international highfield
and synchrotron sources in the world. In the last two years, we have obtained facilities to
make fundamental thermal and transport measurements under high pressure in Durham, on single
crystals made by the best growth groups in the world. In this Ph.D. project we intend to
investigate and understand the variables that couple to produce the microscopic mechanism that
leads to the coherent superconducting state. The importance of the thermodynamic variables
temperature and magnetic field and the critical role of charge and spin have long been appreciated
– we intend to find new insights into the superconducting many-body problem by also using
pressures up to 20 kbar as the experimental probe.
Chen DY, Wu MK, Parkinson NG, Du CH, Hatton PD, Chien FZ & Ritter C 2000. Magnetic
Ordering In The Superconducting Mixed Ruthenium-copper Oxide Sr2y(ru1-xcux)o-6. Physica C
341: 2157-2158.
Contact: Prof. Damian Hampshire d.p.hampshire@durham.ac.uk
Ph.D.- Research project: Engineering Smart Superconducting Power Systems: Durham
Energy Institute
Power transmission using superconducting technology offers the possibility of combining high
power densities with low losses in electrical distribution networks. This Ph.D. research project
will combine the design and commissioning of new cryogenic engineering instruments to
measure losses in commercially available superconducting materials with modeling the benefits
of using such materials. The focus of the research is to develop our understanding of using
superconducting technology with other renewable energy technologies to produce new paradigms
for power distribution networks. The student will a member of the Durham Energy Institute.
Degner, T., Taylor, P., Rollinson, D., Neris, A. & Tselepis, S. 2008. Microgrids and Hybrid
Systems. In Use of Electronic-Based Power Conversion for Distributed and Renewable Energy
Sources: 20 Years of Research on Power Conversion Systems. Zacharias, P. Germany: ISET.
302-310.
Contact: Prof. Damian Hampshire d.p.hampshire@durham.ac.uk
Background:
i) Experiments in high-magnetic-fields:
Members of the superconductivity group in Durham have published arguably the most
important JC(B,T,ε) data on superconducting materials and developed a new theoretical scaling
law which successfully combines phenomenological and microscopic theory. These data
characterise the supercurrent density that a material can carry as a function of the magneticfield,
temperature and strain. We have recently installed a 15 Tesla Helmholtz-like split-pair
horizontal superconducting magnet system which is unparalleled in the university sector world-wide.
This opens the exciting possibility of making JC(B,T,ε) measurements on anisotropic
superconductors materials - which will be extremely valuable for developing our fundamental
understanding and optimisation of new technological applications.
For the best experiments, we combine world-class commercially available equipment with
probes that have been designed and built in-house. Commercial cryogenic equipment in-house
includes two high-field magnet systems, a fully equipped PPMS system, a new high-pressure
system and a He-3 system. The world-class high field facilities and instruments are supported by a
number of specialist probes designed and built in-house for making strain, magnetic, resistive
and optical measurements on superconductors. For example, the JC(B,T,ε) data were obtained
using an instrument built in Durham for use in our 17 Tesla vertical magnet system and for use
in international high-field facilities in Grenoble, France.
ii) Fabricating high-field nanocrystalline superconductors:
Members of the superconductivity group in Durham pioneered the discovery of a new class of
nanocrystalline superconductivity materials with exceptionally good tolerance to high magnetic
field.
patented and then published in the premier Physics journals. Equipment in-house includes
DSC, DTA, XRD, glove box, a range of milling machines and furnaces as well a HIP operating
at pressures of 2000 atmospheres and up to 2000 C. The upper critical field in Chevrel phase
superconducting materials was increased from 60 T (Tesla) to more than 100 T and in elemental
niobium from ~ 1 T to ~ 3 T. This work involves fundamental and applied scientific investigations
into nanocrystalline high-field materials where the important length scales for superconductivity are
similar to the length scales for the microstructure and is focussed on fabricating and understanding the
physics of this new class of high magnetic field superconductors.
Supercurrents in horizontal high magnetic fields:
Superconductivity is the enabling technology for the $10B ITER project that the Department of Energy
in the USA concluded is the most important large scale project in the world during the next 20 years.
About one third of the cost is the superconducting magnets that will hold the burning plasma scheduled
to ignite in 2018. Last year we installed in the Durham Physics Dept. a 15 Tesla split-pair horizontal
magnet system which is unparalleled in the university sector world-wide. In this Ph.D. project we intend
to measure and understand the supercurrent that can flow in superconducting materials in high magnetic
fields. The new magnet system opens the possibility of making detailed angular current measurements
for the first time on HTS materials. These measurements will provide the possibility of understanding
the critical issue of why supercurrent densities in high fields remain more than three orders of magnitude
below theoretical limits.
D. M. J. Taylor and Damian P. Hampshire - The scaling law for the strain-dependence of the
critical current density in Nb3Sn superconducting wires - Supercond. Sci. Tech 18 (2005) S241-
S252
Contact: Prof. Damian Hampshire d.p.hampshire@durham.ac.uk
Research project: Nanocrystalline Superconductivity:
Members of the superconductivity group in Durham pioneered the discovery of a new class of
nanocrystalline superconductivity materials with exceptionally good tolerance to high magnetic field.
These materials provide a new paradigm for high-field conductors which has been patented and then
published in the premier Physics journals. Equipment in-house includes DSC, DTA, XRD, glove box, a
range of milling machines and furnaces as well a HIP operating at pressures of 2000 atmospheres and up
to 2000 C.
(Tesla) to more than 100 T and in elemental niobium from ~ 1 T to ~ 3 T. In this work, we control the
microstructure (grain boundaries and defects) on the length scale of the superconducting coherence
length to increase the resistivity and hence the tolerance of the superconductors to high magnetic fields.
This research Ph.D. project will involve fundamental and applied scientific investigations into
nanocrystalline high-field materials where the important length scales for superconductivity are similar
to the length scales for the microstructure and will be focussed on fabricating and understanding the
physics of this new class of high magnetic field superconductors.
D. M. J. Taylor, M. Al-Jawad and D. P. Hampshire - A new paradigm for fabricating bulk highfield
superconductors- Supercond. Sci. Tech 21 (2008) 125006
Contact: Prof. Damian Hampshire d.p.hampshire@durham.ac.uk
Also available:
Research project: Theoretical ab initio Computational Studies of Electron-Phonon
structure in Nanocrystalline Metals and SuperconductorsThe practical use of metals has been used to characterise different eras in Man’s development
(e.g. Bronze age). Advanced theoretical ab initio computational studies of the electronic structure
of materials have played a vital role in understanding the physics of band-structures and the
development of opto-electronic devices. These calculations have predominantly been for
semiconducting materials at zero-temperature. This research project will be directed at including
phonons in electronic structure calculations for the first time. We intend to develop ab-initio
computational tools to make detailed calculations about the electron-phonon coupling and
structure in micro- and nanocrystalline materials. Detailed calculations will provide a better
understanding of critical materials properties such as the macroscopic properties embodied in
phase diagrams, microscopic properties such as strong electron-phonon coupling and transport
properties such as resistivity. Calculations will be made for simple metals such as lithium, wellstudied
materials such as gold and important technological materials such as the high-field
superconductors Nb3Sn, NbC0.3N0.7 and Y1Ba2Cu3O7.
S. J. Clark, M. D. Segall, C. J. Pickard, P. J. Hasnip, M. J. Probert, K. Refson, and M. C. Payne,
First principles methods using CASTEP Zeitschrift für kristallographie 220, 567 (2005).
Contact: Prof. Damian Hampshire d.p.hampshire@durham.ac.uk
Research project: The Optical Properties of Metals and Superconductors:
In the last three years, we have successfully developed in the Durham physics department, a high
sensitivity variable temperature optical instrument which has been designed, commissioned and
calibrated to measure the low intensity photoluminescence emission spectra from metals and
superconductors. Although metals have very weak luminescence, it is clear that sufficient
sensitivity can be achieved. This Ph.D. research project is directed at developing the instrument
further to make optical measurements down to temperatures below 10 K. We intend to measure
for the first time the temperature dependent optical properties of metals at low temperatures and
in particular probe the superconducting state in metallic and HTS superconductors.
H. Armstrong, D. Halliday and D. P. Hampshire - Photoluminescence of Gold, Copper and
Niobium as a function of temperature - Journal of Luminescence 129 1610-1614 (2009)
Contact: Prof. Damian Hampshire d.p.hampshire@durham.ac.uk
Ph.D.- Research project: Fundamental XRD, magnetic and transport studies on single
crystals of superconductors in high magnetic fields under high pressure
The Durham physics department has a long-standing expertise using the best international highfield
and synchrotron sources in the world. In the last two years, we have obtained facilities to
make fundamental thermal and transport measurements under high pressure in Durham, on single
crystals made by the best growth groups in the world. In this Ph.D. project we intend to
investigate and understand the variables that couple to produce the microscopic mechanism that
leads to the coherent superconducting state. The importance of the thermodynamic variables
temperature and magnetic field and the critical role of charge and spin have long been appreciated
– we intend to find new insights into the superconducting many-body problem by also using
pressures up to 20 kbar as the experimental probe.
Chen DY, Wu MK, Parkinson NG, Du CH, Hatton PD, Chien FZ & Ritter C 2000. Magnetic
Ordering In The Superconducting Mixed Ruthenium-copper Oxide Sr2y(ru1-xcux)o-6. Physica C
341: 2157-2158.
Contact: Prof. Damian Hampshire d.p.hampshire@durham.ac.uk
Ph.D.- Research project: Engineering Smart Superconducting Power Systems: Durham
Energy Institute
Power transmission using superconducting technology offers the possibility of combining high
power densities with low losses in electrical distribution networks. This Ph.D. research project
will combine the design and commissioning of new cryogenic engineering instruments to
measure losses in commercially available superconducting materials with modeling the benefits
of using such materials. The focus of the research is to develop our understanding of using
superconducting technology with other renewable energy technologies to produce new paradigms
for power distribution networks. The student will a member of the Durham Energy Institute.
Degner, T., Taylor, P., Rollinson, D., Neris, A. & Tselepis, S. 2008. Microgrids and Hybrid
Systems. In Use of Electronic-Based Power Conversion for Distributed and Renewable Energy
Sources: 20 Years of Research on Power Conversion Systems. Zacharias, P. Germany: ISET.
302-310.
Contact: Prof. Damian Hampshire d.p.hampshire@durham.ac.uk
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