This award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research-Major Instrumentation Projects (IMR-MIP) program in DMR supports the construction of a revolutionary high field magnet, a "Series-Connected Hybrid" (SCH) magnet at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. The SCH is an innovative magnet and will use 1/3 of the power of a comparable resistive magnet. The magnet is composed of both superconducting and resistive magnets connected electrically in series. This series connection results in a uniquely flexible and efficient design and can operate in a high-field (greater than 40 Tesla) configuration, or a high homogeneity configuration. The homogeneity will improve by nearly 3 orders of magnitude compared with standard resistive and hybrid systems. Central to the design is the large superconducting magnet that produces part of the central field. The remaining magnetic field contribution is produced by the resistive magnet located inside of the superconducting magnet. The connection of a relatively high-inductance superconducting magnet to a resistive magnet greatly improves the field quality by reducing the temporal ripple. Because of the reduction in power consumption, significantly lower operating cost is attainable and longer continuous operations are possible. These will lead to increased scientific productivity. The unique features of the SCH result in many advantages for the science community. Longer run times allow for longer data acquisition at high fields. Greater field stability reduces noise bringing improved sensitivity to most experiments. The higher field improves resolution and contrast in resonance and imaging. The magnet will be used as a tool primarily for the characterization of material properties and resonance imaging. In the area of condensed matter physics, electronic, magnetic, optical, and superconducting properties of materials will be measured. For chemistry, inorganic metal oxides, catalysts, conductors, semiconductors, and biocompatible surfaces will be characterized. Also for biological studies, membrane protein structures will be determined and studies will be performed using high-resolution magnetic resonance microscopy. The SCH project will involve both undergraduate and graduate students from the joint Florida State University/Florida A&M University College of Engineering (FSU/FAMU CoE) as well as from the physics and chemistry departments of these and other institutions. FAMU is an HBCU.
