https://meet.google.com/vgh-oiqy-xwe

Teresa Puig

ICMAB-CSIC, Bellaterra, Spain

“Superconducting materials: From the quantum phenomena to the Energy paradigm”

Abstract

Superconductors have the ability to carry electrical current without losses, enabling the transformation of our energy system. However, it was only 38 years ago, with the discovery of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials—capable of operating at liquid nitrogen temperatures—that this paradigm began to seem feasible. Despite their promise, HTS materials were brittle, anisotropic and their underlying physics were not yet understood. This stalled the initial expectations of developing wires for energy transportation. Since then, the superconducting materials and vortex physics community has worked tirelessly. Today, we have a solid understanding of the vortex physics of HTS materials, and we are capable of manufacturing kilometer-long HTS wires, known as Coated Conductors. More than half a dozen companies around the world are currently producing them and the impressive interdisciplinary cooperation between research laboratories, device engineers, and industry, positioned HTS to meet the needs of our energy-dependent society. Providentially, we are witnessing one of the most exciting times for HTS materials, entering into the commercialization stage and expanding in several emerging applications, including magnetic fusion energy. In this presentation, I will introduce the physical phenomena behind superconductivity, vortex physics in HTS materials, and Coated Conductors. I will also discuss the research lines being pursued at ICMAB and I will conclude with the current status of HTS applications in energy—such as cables, generators, magnetic fusion and their implications for the future of high energy physics.