Global Times- Chinese researchers have successfully developed an all-superconducting user magnet with a central magnetic field strength of 35.6 teslas – more than 700,000 times that of Earth’s magnetic field – setting a new world record for all-superconducting user magnets, the Xinhua news Agency reported on Tuesday.
The breakthrough marks China’s attainment of internationally advanced capabilities in high-temperature superconducting applications and is expected to provide strong technical support for research in materials science, life sciences and nuclear fusion, among other fields, per Xinhua.
According to CCTV News, the all-superconducting user magnet, which uses a high-temperature superconducting insert magnet as its core, has a bore diameter of 35 millimeters. It first achieved a magnetic field of 30 teslas in 2023 and has since been opened to domestic and international users. Following continuous upgrades to materials, structure and manufacturing processes, the research team recently raised the maximum magnetic field to 35.6 teslas while keeping the bore size unchanged.
With this achievement, the system has become the world’s only all-superconducting user magnet capable of providing magnetic fields above 30 teslas for materials science research, significantly enhancing China’s strength in strong-magnetic-field studies.
An all-superconducting magnet generates strong magnetic fields by exploiting the zero-resistance property of superconductors. It features high stability, excellent field homogeneity, and long-term reliable operation. For example, it can stably maintain its maximum magnetic field for more than 200 hours, and can be well integrated with extreme experimental conditions such as ultra-low temperatures and high pressures, Luo Jianlin, a researcher from the Institute of Physics under CAS, told the Global Times on Tuesday. “This enables a wide range of experimental measurements, including nuclear magnetic resonance, specific heat, and magnetostriction, greatly meeting the needs of the research community,” he said.
The magnet is installed in the comprehensive research facility for extreme conditions, a major national scientific infrastructure located in Beijing’s Huairou Science City. The facility passed national acceptance in February 2025 and integrates extreme experimental conditions including ultra-low temperatures, strong magnetic fields, ultra-high pressure and ultrafast optical fields. The 35.6-tesla magnet will operate in coordination with other extreme-condition research platforms at the facility, offering powerful support for scientists exploring the microscopic world of matter, per CCTV News.
All-superconducting magnets are characterized by extremely high magnetic field strength and very low energy consumption, giving them broad application potential in advanced scientific instruments, high-end medical equipment, energy and transportation. However, their development poses stringent requirements for magnetic field strength, stability, uniformity, effective bore size and long-term operational reliability, per Xinhua.
According to the research team, the magnet was designed and manufactured by the Institute of Electrical Engineering under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), while the Institute of Physics under CAS addressed challenges such as system health monitoring. The facility will support frontier research conducted by scientific teams from China and abroad. Going forward, the team plans to further enhance the magnet’s overall performance and develop all-superconducting user magnets with even higher magnetic field strengths, per Xinhua.
“Strong magnetic fields are an important tool for studying materials. They help scientists better understand high-temperature superconductors and quantum materials, and also play an important role in the precise analysis of biomolecular structures and the development of medical technologies such as magnetic-targeted therapy, contributing to disease diagnosis and treatment” Luo said.
