Current distribution near the end of a filamentary superconductor

The current density near the end of an untwisted multifilament superconducting wire is calculated for a fixed rate of change of transverse applied field. It is shown that the current flow is described by a series of zones with sharp boundaries between them, in analogy with domains in a ferromagnetic material. The zones are characterized by Ez= 0 and , where Ezis the macroscopic axial electric field. A measurement of the magnetic moment of the wire provides a means for obtaining the transverse conductivity of the conductor.