CHINESE scientists announced Sunday that they have set a new world record by generating a steady magnetic field of 351,000 gauss (35.1 tesla) with a fully superconducting magnet. The achievement, produced with a stable 30‑minute operation and safe demagnetization, marks a major step toward commercializing high‑field superconducting instruments such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers.

Developed by the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) in Hefei, Anhui Province, the magnet was built in collaboration with the Hefei International Applied Superconductivity Center, the Institute of Energy of the Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, and Tsinghua University.

The new field strength surpasses the previous world record of 323,500 gauss and is more than 700,000 times the Earth’s geomagnetic field (about 0.5 gauss). The device uses an advanced design that combines a high‑temperature superconducting (HTS) insert coil coaxially nested inside low‑temperature superconducting (LTS) magnets.

ASIPP researcher Liu Fang said the team overcame critical technical obstacles — including stress concentration, shielding current effects and multi‑field coupling under low‑temperature, high‑field conditions — to improve mechanical stability and electromagnetic performance in extreme environments.

During testing the magnet was energized to 35.1 tesla, maintained stably for half an hour, and then safely demagnetized, fully validating the reliability of the technical approach. The breakthrough is expected to accelerate deployment of superconducting technologies across multiple sectors: high‑resolution NMR and other scientific instruments, magnetic confinement fusion systems, space electromagnetic propulsion, superconducting induction heating, magnetic levitation transport, and loss‑efficient power transmission.

High‑field superconducting magnets are essential for magnetic confinement fusion, where strong fields create a “magnetic cage” to confine high‑temperature plasma for sustained reactions.

ASIPP has been a long‑time player in fusion research and recently reported full localization of superconducting materials, components and systems. As the lead Chinese organization that contributes to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, ASIPP has taken on numerous procurement packages, including superconductors, correction coils and magnet feeders.

(Xinhua)