Researchers at the MagLab are making discoveries today that will lead to the technologies of tomorrow. Whether a member of one of our robust in-house research groups or one of the nearly 1,400 outside scientists who do experiments here annually, MagLab researchers understand how high magnetic fields lead to making big discoveries.
Seeking the most powerful magnetic fields on Earth, scientists and engineers from across the world come to the MagLab to explore promising new materials, solve energy challenges and grow our understanding of living things. This kind of research has played a critical role in developing new technologies used every day – from electric lights and computers to motors, plastics, high-speed trains and MRI. Find out more by exploring our research initiatives, learning about our interdisciplinary research, or digging deeper into the hundreds of publications generated annually by MagLab researchers.
Research Initiatives
MATERIALS
Scientists use our magnets to explore semiconductors, superconductors, newly-grown crystals, buckyballs and materials from the natural world — research that reveals the secret workings of materials and empowers us to develop new technologies.
ENERGY
Scientists here are working to optimize petroleum refining, advance potential bio-fuels such as pine needles and algae, and fundamentally change the way we store and deliver energy by developing better batteries.
LIFE
With the world’s strongest MRI magnet, scientists here study everything from living animals to individual cells, from proteins to disease-fighting molecules found in plants and animals — work that could improve treatment of AIDS, cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.
Latest Science Highlight
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MRI detects brain responses to Alzheimer's disease plaque deposits and inflammation
23 March 2020
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of mouse models for Alzheimer’s disease can be used to determine brain response to plaque deposits and inflammation that ultimately disrupt emotion, learning, and memory. Quantification of the early changes with high resolution MRI could help monitor and predict disease progression, as well as potentially suggest new treatment methods.
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Analytical tool for in vivo triple quantum MR signals
23 March 2020
Magnetic resonance (MR) signals of sodium and potassium nuclei during ion binding are attracting increased attention as a potential biomarker of in vivo cell energy metabolism. This new analytical tool helps describe and visualize the results of MR experiments in the presence of in vivo ion binding.
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Exploring topological semimetals in high magnetic fields
23 March 2020
Topological semimetals are an exciting new area of research due to their number of predicted and unexpected quantum mechanical states. Understanding these materials may also lead to quantum devices that function at near room temperature.
Featured Publications
Exploring Topological Semimetals in High Magnetic Fields , J. Liu, et al., Phys. Rev. B, 100, 195123 (2019) See Science Highlight or Read online
MRI detects brain responses to Alzheimer’s disease plaque deposits and inflammation, L.M. Colon-Perez, et al., NeuroImage, 202, 116138 (2019) See Science Highlight or Read online
Analytical tool for in vivo triple quantum MR signals, V.D. Schepkin Zeitschrift fur Medizinische Physik, 29 (4), 326-336 (2019) See Science Highlight or Read online
Nuclear Spin Patterning Controls Electron Spin Coherence , C.E. Jackson, et al., , Chem. Sci., 10 (36), 8447-8454 (2019) See Science Highlight or Read online
Influence of a nematic phase on high-temperature superconductivity , P. Reiss, et al., Nature Physics, 28, Oct (2019) See Science Highlight or Read online
High Magnetic Field MRI Evidences Pathwaysfor Metabolic Brain Waste Clearance, K. N. Magdoom, et al., Nature Scientific Reports, 9, 11480 (2019) See Science Highlight or Read online
Liquid State Dynamic Nuclear Polarization at High Magnetic Field, T. Dubroca, et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys, 21 21200-21204 (2019) See Science Highlight or Read online
Hafnium greatly improves Nb3Sn superconductor for high field magnets, S. Balachandran, et al., Superconductor Science and Technology,32, 044006 (2019) See Science Highlight or Read online
Why does magnetic switching occur at such high magnetic fields in Sr3NiIrO6? , K.R. O'Neal, et al., njp Quantum Materials,4, 48 (2019) See Science Highlight or Read online
Identification of abnormal hemoglobin from human blood , L. He, et al., Clinical Chemistry,65 (8), 986-994 (2019) See Science Highlight or Read online