China's resistive magnet sets new world record

HEFEI, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists used an independently developed resistive magnet on Sunday to produce a steady magnetic field of 42.02 tesla, equivalent to over 800,000 times the Earth's magnetic field, breaking a world record set by the United States in this field in 2017.

The milestone achievement made by the High Magnetic Field Laboratory of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CHMFL) is expected to drive scientific discoveries and applications in a wide range of technological fields.

The steady high magnetic field is an extreme experimental condition, serving as a powerful tool for scientific research. In the experimental environment of a high magnetic field, the properties of matter can be manipulated, which is conducive to scientists discovering new phenomena and exploring new laws of matter, experts explained.

High magnetic fields can also spur applications, such as electromagnetic metallurgy and chemical reaction synthesis, especially the widespread utilization of nuclear magnetic resonance technology in medical science.

Due to its significant value in various fields such as physics, chemistry, material science and life science, the steady high magnetic field is referred to as the "cradle" of the Nobel Prizes.

The new achievement results from nearly four years of efforts by the research team, which involved innovating magnetic structures and optimizing manufacturing processes, said Kuang Guangli, academic director of CHMFL.

Kuang said this breakthrough could meet users' needs for a fast, regulated and stable high magnetic field, provide scientists with powerful experimental conditions, and lay a key technological foundation for China's construction of higher-field steady magnets.