What is a superconductor quench?

If you want to capture sharper MRI images, hunt for new physics with particle accelerators, or advance fusion energy, you need superconducting magnets.

Superconductors are special materials. When cooled to extremely low temperatures, they can carry electricity with no resistance. That lets them make powerful magnetic fields for breakthrough experiments and cutting-edge technologies, without the huge energy losses of conventional magnets.

But there’s a catch: superconductors are a bit… temperamental. The material can instantly lose its superconducting powers if even a tiny spot inside the magnet warms past a certain threshold. Scientists call this sudden change a quench.

When a quench happens, it usually starts in one small area that warms up first: the hotspot. All the electrical energy stored in the magnet rushes into that spot, and it turns into heat, fast. That sudden burst of heat can damage the magnet or bring an experiment to an instant stop.

For the next generation of high-temperature superconductors, researchers are developing several new ways to sense and stop quenches before they start trouble. These include sensors that “listen” for tiny structural changes, radiofrequency materials wound into the magnet to detect minute temperature shifts, and fiber-optic lines that can sense changes along their entire length.

The goal is to catch the earliest warning signs and shut things down safely, keeping these magnets running longer, stronger, and more reliably.  

To learn more about superconducting magnet research, visit lbl.gov.