Pulsed magnets for strong and ultrastrong fields

Recent developments in the design of pulsed laboratory magnets are reviewed. There are two general categories with many variations: nondestructive magnets for fields below 100 T with pulse durations from 0.1 ms to 1 second, and destructive magnets with pulse durations from 0.1 to 10 /spl mu/s. Nondestructive magnets are mostly wire-wound coils with internal and external reinforcement. The peak field depends on the strength of the materials (strong wires, fibre composites) and on the geometry (bore size, distribution of reinforcement and current density) which can be optimized. Megagauss magnets rely on inertial confinement; this is the reason for the short pulse duration. The field is either generated by magnetic flux compression, driven by high explosives or by electromagnetic forces, or in a small single turn coil that explodes violently in the process. The single turn coil is usually driven by a very fast high voltage capacitor bank. Special measuring techniques must be developed for use with the different types of pulsed magnets.