Application of High Temperature Superconductors to Accelerators

Since the discovery of high temperature superconductivity, a large effort has been made by the scientific community to investigate this field towards a possible application of the new oxide superconductors to different devices like SMES, magnetic bearings, flywheels energy storage, magnetic shielding, transmission cables, fault current limiters, etc. However, all present day large scale applications using superconductivity in accelerator technology are based on conventional materials operating at liquid helium temperatures. Poor mechanical properties, low critical current density and sensitivity to the magnetic field at high temperature are the key parameters whose improvement is essential for a large scale application of high temperature superconductors to such devices. Current leads, used for transferring currents from the power converters, working at room temperature, into the liquid helium environment, where the magnets are operating, represent an immediate application of the emerging technology of high temperature superconductivity. The LHC, currently under construction at CERN, will transfer more than 3 million ampères of current through leads having high temperature superconducting sections, thus providing a unique opportunity to incorporate these materials into large scale systems. The status of this project and the cost-benefit consequence of its application will be reported.