Located at CERN in Switzerland, this superconducting magnet will generate the magnetic field for a particle detector at the Large Hadron Collider, the shiny new particle accelerator slated to switch on next November. Among other experiments, the Collider may enable scientists to finally observe the Higgs boson, aka the "God Particle," the long-theorized particle thought to give all other particles their masses. The emerging cryogen-free superconducting magnet technology has removed the logistical difficulties of handling liquid cryogens on planes, ships, or remote land-based sites, and greatly increased the attractiveness of gyrotron amplifiers as drivers for high performance millimeter wave radar systems.

The picture at the left shows the internal liquid helium baffle cut away to expose the superconducting solenoid wrapped in black tape. A section on the black tape was cut away to expose a clear tape through which the superconducting shim coils are visible. The superconducting shim coils are wound on the outside of the solenoid and are used to adjust the magnetic field gradients at the probe in much the same way as room temperature shim coils. The superconducting magnet wire is made of a copper-clad niobium-titanium alloy. This magnet contains approximately 12 miles (19 km) of superconducting wire.
Cryomagnetics continues their ground breaking development in liquid cryogen-free superconducting magnet systems. The system pictured above was recently delivered to Communications and Power Industries (CPI). CPI's Microwave Power Products is the world's leading manufacturer of helix TWTs, klystrons, gyrotrons, coupled cavity TWT's, microwave power modules (MPMs), and high power transmitters. The superconducting magnet system is a complex, 5-coil system used as an integral part of a gyrotron amplifier.