Abstract
Minimum quench energy (MQE) of superconducting wires, Cu/SC ratio 1 and 2 having a fixed SC area, was measured using a small ceramic resistive heater (1mm×1.5mm×0.5mm), which was cut from commercially-available large ceramic resistor tubes. The heater was soldered on the superconducting wire, thus minimizing thermal resistance inbetween. Current pulses generated by an FET switch, a pulse generator and a DC power supply were applied to the resistor via coaxial cable, thereby maintaining the transmitted pulse wavefrom. The transient thermal response of the locally heated superconductor was also measured using a thermocouple. The MQE of the Cu/SC ratio 2 wire was approximately twice as large as that of the Cu/SC ratio 1 wire, at a constant background magnetic field and a constant ratio of the operating current to its critical current.
