Low Temperature Physics II / Kaltephysik II

71 For a given value of I the field is independent of the geometrical composition of the coil inside the winding space. The actual number of turns and the cross section of the conductors is entirely determined by the impedance of the power supply to which the magnet should be adapted. In the case of low impedance (high current and low voltage) few turns of thick metal should be used. In the case of high impedance (low current and high voltage) many turns of thin material are needed. High impedance coils are made of square wire or flat strip wound into layers or "pancakes" 1. A nice system for low impedance coils was deve loped by BITTER. The turns of his magnets consist of flat copper discs separated by thin insulating sheets and joined together at their edges. In this type of coil the current density is higher near the axis than at the exterior, resulting into a higher value for G (see above). For the details of the construction we refer to the original papers 2, 3. If the power is dissipated at a low voltage the cooling may be achieved with the help of water. Distilled water should be preferred over mains' water in order to prevent the magnet from corrosion. In the case of a high voltage coil some non-inflammable organic fluid should be used. A low viscosity and a large specific heat are advantageous.