Editor(s): Horst Rogalla, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands; Peter H. Kes, University of Leiden, The Netherlands
CRC Press, Cat. #: K12240, ISBN: 9781439849460, ISBN 10: 1439849463
Publication Date: September 26, 2011
Due to space limitations for this book some important contributions and additional information were regrettably left out of the published work but are made available here as an archival record. I will also try and use this space to make corrections.
"Behind" is a relative term, you may be looking from the wrong direction.
It has been brought to my [PJL] attention that the use of the phrase "The Atomics International (AI) group was close behind Westinghouse" in the context of Tc measurements on Nb-Ti underemphasizes the advances being made at AI over the same time period as the Westinghouse work. Richard Hake and Ted Berlincourt write that "[w]hereas Hulm and Blaugher at Westinghouse were evidently the first to report thesuperconducting transition temperatures of Nb-Ti alloys, Berlincourt and Hake at Atomics International were the first to report their high upper critical fields and demonstrate that with suitable metallurgical treatment they could sustain high critical supercurrent densities. As discussed by Berlincourt [Berlincourt '87 Cryogenics and IEEE references below] those properties, together with easy workability and affordability, single out Nb-Ti as the workhorse of technological superconductivity from among the a vast array of other superconductors as discussed by Berlincourt [Berlincourt '87 Cryogenics and IEEE references below]."
T.G. Berlincourt, "Emergence of Nb-Ti as supermagnet material", Cryogenics 27(6):
(June 1987) 283-289 (1987); an abstract is online at <https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0011-2275(87)90057-9>.
T.G. Berlincourt, "Type II Superconductivity: Quest for Understanding," IEEE Transactions on Magnetics MAG-23(2): 403-412 (1987); an abstract is online at <https://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TMAG.1987.1065156>
Richard Hake and Ted Berlincourt's contributions to Nb-Ti and the acceptance and application of GLAG theory are only covered in a short space, however, an informative and amusing history was prepared for, and presented in seminars at Indiana University and then UC-San Diego. It gives much of the flavor of the last battles between "spongers" and GLAG pioneers. Richard Hake (Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University) has kindly made this available as ref. 63 at:
https://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake
Hake, R.R. 1989. "Early History of High-Field Superconductivity - 1930-1967: A Tragicomedy in Twelve Acts"; soon to be online as a 2.9 MB pdf
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Gordon Chase provided a light hearted remembrance (aided by Al McInturff, Clay Whetstone and Bill McDonald) of his experiences in the development of superconducting strand from his years at Atomics International, followed by his founding of Cryomagnetics and Pacific Magnetic Structures as well as the back story to the development of the ECN-PIT process for Nb3Sn. His autobiographical history available here:
Chase, G.G.C, 2010, "Super History"
Contact Gordon Chase (java script encoded email address):
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Nb-Ti development at Harwell - see Phil Charlesworth article below.
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Full References: The book version format required that references in the footnotes were extremely abbreviated. Full references are available in this document:
Phil Charlesworth provided a personal history covering the development of superconductors at the UKAEA Research Establishment at Harwell and space was available for only a brief extract. The Nb3Sn phase diagram work at Harwell, led by Phil Charlesworth, is still the basis of our understanding of the Nb:Sn system and the story behind its development is one of the important aspects of Nb3Sn history that was not included in the book. The full article, which also covers some of the Nb-Ti development at Harwell, is available in full here:
Charlesworth, P., 2010, "Some reminiscences of two decades of research on high-field superconductors"
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PIT development - see Gordon Chase article above.
© Peter J. Lee 2011. © of contributing authors retained by original authors.