On the current transfer length and current sharing in short length MgB2wires
Current transfer length (CTL) and current sharing with the normal paths for a metal sheathed MgB2 superconductor are studied by analytical and numerical methods. The study was aimed at wire geometries with short sample lengths. The computations show low CTL values for Fe sheathed MgB2 and significantly higher CTL for Cu sheathed MgB2. For short length samples a considerable part of the applied current is not transferred into the superconducting layer and flows through the sheath in Cu sheathed conductors. Close to the current contacts the heat generated due to current sharing with normal paths is significantly higher for the Fe sheath than for the Cu sheath.