Applications of Superconductivity to Fundamental Research in Physics

Abstract

Attempts to utilize the complete absence of electrical resistance and other characteristic properties of superconductors for technological purposes started almost immediately after the discovery of the phenomenon itself. For nearly fifty years, however, applications were confined to specialized devices in which superconducting components were employed mainly for research in low temperature Physics. In the early sixties, the discovery of high field super-conductors^l, tunneling² and the Josephson effects³ suddenly changed the picture, and in the short period of just over a decade, the subject of applied superconductivity has grown to such an extent, that it is now virtually impossible for an individual even to enumerate all the applications, let alone discuss them in any detail. For this reason, I shall confine myself to brief descriptions of a few selected applications which are currently employed in low temperature and high energy physics. The choice is somewhat arbitrary, being dictated by my own interests and by the fact that recent applications of superconductivity are having a large impact on experimental particle physics. Some of the applications discussed are relatively simple, both in concept and in technical details, and can be made to function by using inexpensive equipment. For the benefit of non specialists, the physics of these applications is discussed in simple terms and the technical details are avoided. They can be found in the list of references given at the end.