Prototype thin superconducting solenoid for particle astrophysics in space

A description is given of a prototype magnet which is a very thin and lightweight superconducting solenoid 1 m in diameter, 1.3 m in length and with a 1.27 T central field. The authors plan to use this device in balloon experiments scheduled for 1990 to measure high-energy cosmic rays as preliminaries to the experiment in space. They have constructed the model magnet, which is the same size as the prototype magnet and has 1/4 superconducting wire and 3/4 dummy wire. The cooling, exciting, and quench properties of this magnet were measured and compared with design values to verify the coil winding technique and the static indirect cooling method using pure aluminum