Magnet design promises brighter days for future experiments

摘要

Researchers may soon have the ability to direct and scatter laser light at a sample not only down the center of a magnet, but also from four ports on the side—a potential breakthrough for applications as diverse as MRIs, disk drives, lasers, and microscopes. Developed by engineers at Florida State University's National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (Tallahassee, FL), the magnet technology — dubbed the Split Florida Helix — promises scientists the ability to learn more about the intrinsic properties of materials by shining light on crystals from angles not previously available in such high magnetic fields.