Scientific issues under high magnetic field

The half-integer quantum Hall effect in epitaxial graphene is compared with high precision to the well-known integer effect in a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. We find no difference between the quantized resistance values within the relative standard uncertainty of our measurement of 8.7 × 10−11. The result places new tighter limits on any possible correction terms to the simple relation RK = h/e2, and also demonstrates that epitaxial graphene samples are suitable for application as electrical resistance standards of the highest metrological quality. We discuss the characterization of the graphene sample used in this experiment and present the details of the cryogenic current comparator bridge and associated uncertainty budget.

Cr‐doped ZnO diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) nanorods with nominal composition of 1 at.% were synthesized by a hydrothermal method with the assistance of a high pulsed magnetic field (HHPMF). All the Cr‐doped ZnO samples obtained with or without the applied high magnetic field exhibited room‐temperature ferromagnetic behavior. It is observed that the high magnetic field plays an important role in saturation magnetization of the samples. The effects of high magnetic field on the morphology, structure, and magnetic properties of the samples were discussed.

The wall relaxation time for optically pumped 〈Sz〉 polarized sodium atoms colliding with copper, stainless-steel, and dry-film coated surfaces has been measured as a function of an applied magnetic field. Results show that the mean number of wall collisions increases from one to about four before depolarization of sodium atoms occurs on a copper wall in a high (12 kG) magnetic field, whereas the atoms relax after a single collision on a stainless-steel wall even in high fields. The relaxation time for a dry-film coated surface, for the cell geometries used in our work, is dominated by the effusion of polarized sodium atoms from the cell. Our measurements also allow an estimate of the strength of the local magnetic field causing the 〈Sz〉 depolarization and of the correlation time of the depolarization interaction on the surface. The importance of these experimental results as applied to the performance of optically pumped polarized ion sources is also discussed.

Split pulsed magnet combining high peak central magnetic field and long rise time for pulsed field magnetization of high temperature superconductors

The effect of a high magnetic field applied during oxidation on the structure, optical transmittance, resistivity, and magnetism of cobalt (Co)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films prepared by oxidizing evaporated Zn/Co bilayer thin films in open air was studied. The relationship between the structure and properties of films oxidized with and without an applied magnetic field was analyzed. The results show that the high magnetic field obviously changed the structure and properties of the Co-doped ZnO films. The Lorentz force of the high magnetic field suppressed the oxidation growth on nanowhiskers. As a result, ZnO nanowires were formed without a magnetic field, whereas polyhedral particles formed under a 6 T magnetic field. This morphology variation from dendrite to polyhedron caused the transmittance below 1,200 nm of the film oxidized under a magnetic field of 6 T to be much lower than that of the film oxidized without a magnetic field. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy indicated that the high magnetic field suppressed Co substitution in the ZnO lattice, increased the concentration of oxygen vacancies, and changed the chemical state of Co. The increased concentration of oxygen vacancies affected the temperature dependence of the resistivity of the film oxidized under a magnetic field of 6 T compared with that of the film oxidized without a magnetic field. The changes of oxygen vacancy concentration and Co state caused by the application of the high magnetic field also increase the ferromagnetism of the film at room temperature. All of these results indicate that a high magnetic field is an effective tool to modify the structure and properties of ZnO thin films.

High magnetic field provides unique opportunity to explore new scientific issues in the fields such as material science, physics, chemistry, life science and so on. Other countries like European countries, USA and Japan have being endeavoring to develop technologies producing high magnetic field for many years and have obtained lots of great achievements in multidisciplinary researches under high magnetic field. In 2008, National Development and Reform Commission of China (NDRC) approved the project of the Steady High Magnetic Field Facility (SHMFF), which includes ten high field magnets and a series of experimental systems. The whole project has been nearly accomplished. Several magnets and experimental systems of SHMFF have being put into trial performance and opened to external users. The international technical developments to produce steady high magnetic field and the multidisciplinary researches under high magnetic field are summarized in this article, the SHMFF and its research activities are briefly introduced.

Monte Carlo investigation of diluted antiferromagnets in high magnetic fields

High magnetic fields have been of interest for some time in solid-state physics. Recent spectroscopic experiments on highly excited barium atoms and the discovery of very large magnetic fields in white dwarf stars and neutron stars have stimulated renewed interest in the spectroscopy of free atoms in high magnetic fields. The various spectroscopic regimes ranging from the low-field Zeeman effect to the high-field Landau regime are reviewed. Calculations of the energy levels of hydrogen, helium and their isoelectronic ions in fields of any strength are surveyed. Observations of the quadratic Zeeman effect in the alkalis and high-field effects in the neutral barium spectrum are described. Finally, recent discoveries of continuum polarization in white dwarf stars, its interpretation in terms of the presence of high magnetic fields, the confirmation of such fields spectroscopically, and some remaining mysteries in these remarkable stellar spectra are reviewed.

The effect of a high pulsed magnetic field on the tensile properties and microstructure of 7055 alloy were investigated. In the tensile properties test, the pulsed magnetic field was applied to improve the tensile strength and elongation via the magnetoplasticity effect. The results show that when the magnetic induction intensity (B) is 3 T, the tensile strength and elongation arrives at the maximum synchronously, which has been enhanced by 7.9% and 20% compared to the relevant 576.5 MPa (σb), 7.5% (δ) of the initial sample without magnetic field treatment. The high magnetic field takes effect by altering the spin state of free electrons stimulated between the dislocations and obstacles; afterwards, the structural state of the radical pair is converted from the singlet state with high bonding energy to the triplet state with low bonding energy. Under this condition, the dislocation mobility is enhanced and it becomes easier for a dislocation to surmount the obstacles. The residual stress in the sample is connected closely with the long distance stress generated from the dislocation behavior. At 3 T, the residual stress arrived at the minimum of 16 MPa. Moreover, in the presence of a magnetic field, the common η (MgZn2) in the grain boundary dissolved and moved to internal grains because of the concentration difference, which helped to enhance the tensile strength and toughness of the materials. Finally, the fracture morphology was analyzed by scanning electronic microscopy. The fracture characteristic matches with the plasticity property.

A set of hydrodynamic equations has been applied to processes occurring in non-conductive fluids placed into magnetic fields. The equations are valid for equilibrium magnetization within the framework of a continuous medium. The ranges of physical parameters have been evaluated for which magnetization of a fluid should be taken into account in problems concerning the determination of equilibrium forms, and flows and their stability. The conclusion has been drawn that magnetization of natural fluids in these problems must be taken into consideration for fluids in high (exceeding 1 T) magnetic fields. As examples, the solutions of several typical problems concerning the equilibrium surface of capillary fluids and their stability in external magnetic fields have been considered. Hydrodynamic effects related to magnetization of natural capillary fluids in high magnetic fields are studied with due regard for the above solutions. Hydrodynamic effects in para- and diamagnetic fluids have been studied and the common and distinctive features of these effects discussed.

The abnormal temperature rise and early quench often happened to the high field superconducting magnet, especially when the magnetic field is higher than 20 T. This phenomenon is attributed to helium gas bubbles levitation in the special high magnetic field environment. So, it is very important to accurately identify the formation and distribution of helium gas bubbles levitation for the development of high field superconducting magnet. In this paper, a new analytical method based on pressure is proposed to analysis the formation conditions and the spatial distribution of helium gas bubbles levitation. And a no-insulation REBCO insert coil was also developed to study the phenomenon of helium gas bubbles levitation. The REBCO insert coil was tested in high magnetic field produced by a water-cooled magnet. The new analytical method was used to simulate the formation conditions of helium gas bubbles levitation and the temperature distribution of the REBCO insert.

Coulomb screening and weak interactions in a hot, magnetized plasma are investigated. Coulomb screening is evaluated in a relativistic thermal plasma in which electrons and positrons are in equilibrium. In addition to temperature effects, effects on weak screening from a strong external magnetic field are evaluated. In high fields, the electron transverse momentum components are quantized into Landau levels. The characteristic plasma screening length at high temperatures and at high magnetic fields is explored. In addition to changes to the screening length, changes in weak interaction rates are estimated. It is found that high fields can result in increased β-decay rates as the electron and positron spectra are dominated by Landau levels. Finally, the effects studied here are evaluated in a simple r-process model. It is found that relativistic Coulomb screening has a small effect on the final abundance distribution. While changes in weak interaction rates in strong magnetic fields can have an effect on the r-process evolution and abundance distribution, the field strength required to have a significant effect may be larger than what is currently thought to be typical of the r-process environment in collapsar jets or neutron star mergers. If r-process sites exist in fields G, effects from fields on weak decays could be significant.

Influence of a high magnetic field on columnar dendrite growth during directional solidification

Magnetization (M) and Faraday rotation (FR) have been measured in Er3Ga5O12 single crystals in the 4.2–300 K temperature range under high dc magnetic field up to 300 kOe. Experimental data are reported for H applied parallel to the [111] and [100] directions at 633 and 550 nm wavelength. A strong anisotropy of both magneto-optical and magnetic properties is observed. At low temperature, FR and M are proportional only when the magnetization is weak (small magnetic field). In medium and high magnetic field, complex relationships between M and FR are found. The magnetization cannot account for the whole Faraday rotation anisotropy. These data are discussed taking into account the magnetic and magneto-optical properties of the isomorphous erbium iron garnet ferrite.

High-field miniband transport in semiconductor superlattices under the influence of a transverse magnetic field