The Development of Superconducting Detector Magnets From 1965 to the Present

This paper describes the development of detector magnets from the mid-1960s to the LHC detector magnets. The discovery of cryogenic stability in March, 1965, made large detector magnets possible. A number of bubble chamber magnets were built as a result. In the 1970s, the quest for thin magnets started. This led to the development of quench protection through quench-back and the development of indirect cooling with two-phase helium in tubes. The late 1970s and 1980s led to the development of a conductor with ultrapure aluminum as a stabilizer. This led to large coils that were wound inside a strong aluminum mandrel. The LHC saw the development of magnets that are open and they return their own flux without iron. This paper describes the development of detector magnets that have been used in high-energy physics.