Superconducting Flux Pump for a Planar Magnetic Field Source

Abstract

We describe a novel use for superconducting flux pumping, namely a method for magnetizing a planar magnetic field source. The method is useful for many applications, but we illustrate it with the planar Penning trap with applications in quantum technology. A flux pumping mechanism and associated mathematical model are described. The method allows for complete control of the induced persistent current in a double-loop superconducting structure, whereby the final current is a known function of the applied flux and the loop geometry. We have tested our flux pumping technique and found excellent agreement with the theory.