Superconducting Magnets, Thin Films, and Ion Beam Technologies
This research community develops superconducting magnet systems, high-temperature superconducting materials, and focused ion beam tools for applications ranging from medical imaging and particle acceleration to quantum computing and materials analysis.
The work centers on the design and characterization of superconducting magnets, including niobium-tin and REBCO coated conductors for high-field applications. It encompasses the fabrication of superconducting thin films and Josephson junctions for quantum circuits, as well as the development of helium ion and argon cluster beam sources for precision milling and mass spectrometry. Key themes include critical current density optimization, kinetic inductance in superconducting cavities, and the thermal management of cryogenic systems using liquid helium. These technologies underpin advanced MRI scanners, particle accelerator components, and superconducting qubit architectures.
The community’s output is most concentrated in niobium research, accounting for 12.9% of all niobium-related papers, with 3,324 papers in this group. It also represents a significant share of vanadium (3.0%) and tantalum (3.8%) research, reflecting the use of these elements in superconducting alloys and structural components.
The community comprises 11,985 papers, published primarily in IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, Surface Science, and Journal of Applied Physics.
Recent work focuses on extending the coherence times of superconducting transmon qubits to millisecond scales, developing REBCO magnet systems for ultra-high field applications, and refining helium ion beam techniques for nanoscale fabrication and analysis.
Papers behind this description
- Next-generation MRI scanner designed for ultra-high-resolution human brain imaging at 7 Tesla — Nature Methods, 2023 — doi:10.1038/s41592-023-02068-7
- Systematic improvements in transmon qubit coherence enabled by niobium surface encapsulation — npj Quantum Information, 2024 — doi:10.1038/s41534-024-00840-x
- Quantum Computing: Navigating the Future of Computation, Challenges, and Technological Breakthroughs — Quantum Reports, 2024 — doi:10.3390/quantum6040039
- Roadmap for focused ion beam technologies — Applied Physics Reviews, 2023 — doi:10.1063/5.0162597
- Surpassing millisecond coherence in on chip superconducting quantum memories by optimizing materials and circuit design — Nature Communications, 2024 — doi:10.1038/s41467-024-47857-6
- Divertor Tokamak Test facility project: status of design and implementation — Nuclear Fusion, 2024 — doi:10.1088/1741-4326/ad5740
- Quantum error correction of qudits beyond break-even — Nature, 2025 — doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08899-y
- Methods to achieve near-millisecond energy relaxation and dephasing times for a superconducting transmon qubit — Nature Communications, 2025 — doi:10.1038/s41467-025-61126-0
- Elastoplastic deformation and damage of REBCO insert coils induced by screening currents in ultra-high fields — Superconductor Science and Technology, 2025 — doi:10.1088/1361-6668/ae283f
- Superconducting penetration depth of aluminum thin films — Superconductor Science and Technology, 2025 — doi:10.1088/1361-6668/adf360
- Ultracold cryogenic TEM with liquid helium and high stability — Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2025 — doi:10.1073/pnas.2509736122
- Dynamic resistance and loss analysis of a small HTS REBCO magnet carrying direct currents under perpendicular DC-biased and AC magnetic fields — Superconductor Science and Technology, 2025 — doi:10.1088/1361-6668/ae0a89
- Microstructural evolution and grain boundary character distribution during annealing recrystallization of high-purity niobium — Materials Characterization, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115381
- Characterization of Drive-Induced Unwanted State Transitions in Superconducting Circuits — Physical Review X, 2025 — doi:10.1103/zdpg-mhpc