Analytical technique for deriving the distribution of critical currents in a superconducting wire

The derivation of the critical current or critical current density distribution from an analysis of the voltage-current characteristic of a composite superconductor is discussed. Critical current distributions have been obtained for three Nb-Ti composites in quite different metallurgical states. The distribution is shown to be markedly broadened when sausaged filaments produce an extrinsic limit on the composite critical current