The shock-wave application for increasing of a critical current in composite HTSC
This paper aims to find methods for effective pinning centres generation using shock waves in order to increase the current-carrying capability of high temperature superconductors in high magnetic fields. It presents the results of the effect of a shock wave on properties of composite high temperature superconductor tapes (HTSC): YBCO(123) and Bi(2223). To generate the shock wave, authors used the interaction of a solid state target with a high speed cumulative plasma jet generated in a Plasma Focus setup. Shock waves have a front-edge pressure of 1011 Pa. The sample was exposed to the plasma pulse for about 50 ns. A significant and lasting increase of the critical current density of composite HTSC tapes was observed as a result of the effect of shock waves, also in high magnetic fields. This paper discusses the presumed reasons for the increase of the critical current. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)