A SQUID Magnetometer for Quantum Materials, superconductors, molecular magnets and excited states

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All solids and molecules interact to some extent with magnetic fields. In many simple solids such as sodium chloride where there are no unpaired or delocalised electrons the interaction is very weak, but in compounds such as magnetite, Fe3O4, one of the earliest "functional materials" the arrangement of atoms and electrons makes the interaction very strong, so it was used by the ancients as a compass. The development of new compositions of matter that might eventually be used as functional materials in technological devices requires measurement of their magnetic properties, along with, for example, their electronic conductivity and their crystal structures, in order to understand why they behave as they do. These measurements enable the development of new compositions with enhanced physical properties. The types of compound that will be measured using the proposed state-of-the-art instrument will range from powders and single crystals of new complex oxides and sulfides exhibiting diverse magnetic phenomena such as ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, spin-glass behaviour and superconductivity, to complex molecules which might have applications in areas ranging from as quantum computing to unravelling the effects of magnetic fields on avian navigation. The instrument will be key to capitalising on the unique properties of superconductors which have enabled a revolution in medical imaging using MRI scanners, and for which further developments using new superconductors and improved superconducting joints to achieve higher quality imaging will form a key part of the University's world-leading research effort in the coming years.The new state-of-the-art instrument is more efficient than the now-obsolete models and has much-enhanced functionality and will ensure the success of the University's ground-breaking research across a wide range of themes and will feed into the research of the major facilities at ISIS and the Diamond Light Source, and will attract a wider range of users.