Superconducting magnet system for the ATLAS detector at CERN

The ATLAS Collaboration has started the construction of the superconducting magnet system of the ATLAS Experiment which will be installed in the ring of the new Large Hadron Collider at CERN, operational in year 2005. The ATLAS detectors require, for the particle separation, a specific distribution of magnetic field that will be generated by a system of superconducting coils. The system with overall dimensions of 20 meter diameter and 26 meter length consists of three toroidal magnets and a 2.5 m diameter central solenoid. The system is unique in size and complexity. In this paper, the various magnets are introduced as well as the common infrastructure and services required. The status of the project is also reviewed.