Formation of uniform magnetic flux distribution for NMR magnets using HTS bulk magnets activated by pulsed-field magnetization

Abstract

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) magnets generally need an extremely uniform magnetic field in the space where the specimens will be placed. Although high temperature superconducting bulk magnets can obtain an intense magnetic field of more than 3 T, the field distribution is intrinsically characterized to be inhomogeneous, showing steep gradient. Aiming at the practical application of compact and portable NMR magnets, the authors have developed magnet systems capable of generating uniform magnetic fields in a narrow space between face-to-face settled magnetic poles, targeting to obtain a uniform magnetic field between the poles. Here, the authors modified the shape of magnetic field distribution from convex to concave by attaching a ferromagnetic iron plate on one of the pole surfaces, and then settled them face to face with a gap of 70 mm. The uniformity of the magnetic field in the x-y plane was experimentally measured and estimated along various z-axis directions. The best uniformity of 463 ppm at 1.25 T was obtained in the experimental evaluation in the x-y plane of 4 × 4 mm2 at z = 0.5 mm from the iron plate surface. The value of uniformity along the z-direction range was extended from 0.8 mm to a depth of 1.1 mm. These results show that the possible space of NMR signal detection or the available sample size can be enlarged.