Study on the improvement of electromagnetic properties of superconducting materials by neutron irradiation

The superconducting properties of as-grown and neutron irradiated MgB2 were characterized. The analysis is performed by means of SQUID magnetometry. Low temperature Scanning Laser Microscopy (LTSLM) and Low temperature Scanning Hall Probe Microscopy (LTSHPM) were carried out to reveal the spatial distribution of the local resistive transition temperature and the local current density in commercial YBCO coated conductors near the superconducting transition. Neutron irradiation increased the critical current density of MgB2 at high magnetic field. Using LTSLM and LTSHPM the current path in YBCO coated conductors of different patterns could be directly imaged