The World of SQUID Magnetometry

Abstract

Superconductors have earned their fame with their electrical properties, but so far they have earned their living with their magnetic properties. The electrical properties of superconducting wire will undoubtedly play a growing role in a number of future applications, but superconductivity has already become indispensable for advanced uses of magnetism. Superconductivity allows us to generate immense magnetic fields for a variety of applications in science, medicine, and industry. And at the opposite extreme, superconductivity also allows us to detect the presence of incredibly minute magnetic fields in the earth, under the sea, and within the human body. Sensing magnetic fields requires the techniques of magnetometry, and superconductivity provides the best magnetometers in the world.