Installation of a 20 Tesla Magnet at CHESS

This award supports the installation and testing of a 20 Tesla superconducting magnet at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS). Since 2021, CHESS and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) have worked together to create a new facility to study the properties of materials in high magnetic fields using x-rays – the High Magnetic Field (HMF) beamline at CHESS. The construction of both the x-ray beamline (at CHESS) and the unique magnet (by commercial vendors, jointly overseen by CHESS and NHMFL) were supported by previous NSF awards. In 2026, the magnet will be installed at the beamline and tested. Once this phase is complete, the magnet and beamline will be ready for operations as a national user facility. One of the main science drivers for the HMF facility is quantum materials science. Installation and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) of the 20 Tesla superconducting magnet for the HMF beamline require effort from CHESS scientists and technical staff including cryogenics, instrumentation, mechanical, machining, and electrical experts. CHESS teams will work with vendor engineers to perform the installation and testing. Successful installation and testing will satisfy several key requirements: (1) The magnet must be installed in a custom-built vacuum enclosure which is free from ferrous material. (2) The magnet must be energized and quench-tested. (3) The magnet must meet design criteria of slow rotation at field and achieve low sample temperatures and ultra-low vibrations. (4) The magnet must be integrated into the existing beamline control and safety systems for future operations. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.