First operation of the 20 MW Nijmegen High Field Magnet Laboratory

The University of Nijmegen has realized a new installation for high magnetic field research. The user-facility has opened its doors in April 2003. The principal part is an installation for continuous magnetic fields based on a 20 MW power converter, capable of energizing resistive magnets up to 33 T. We discuss the principle of the installation, and the magnets that have been installed and are under development. In addition, there is a pulsed field installation based on 2 MJ stored energy, capable of magnetic field pulses up to 70 T with several milliseconds duration.