Current transfer in multifilamentary superconductors. I. Theory

Abstract

In short-specimen critical current measurements, inadequate separation between current and voltage contacts results in a finite linear slope in the measured voltage-current characteristic at low currents. A simple approximate analytic expression is developed for estimating the magnitude of this slope from wire parameters. Current-transfer lengths are evaluated for multifilamentary NbTi and Nb3Sn composite superconductors.