Hybrid Magnets—Past, Present, and Future

Since the pioneering work of Wood and Montgomery in 1965 at the Francis Bitter Laboratory, hybrid magnets are still the optimal approach of producing the highest continuous magnetic fields with limited electrical power consumption. They consist of a large-bore superconducting magnet surrounding a small-bore, high-power-density resistive magnet. Hybrid magnets can generate fields well above those possible today with a purely superconducting magnet and can allow substantial savings in conductor volume and/or power consumption compared to purely resistive magnets. In this article, progress achieved in the design and construction of hybrid magnets will be reviewed. Perspectives for the construction of magnets producing fields above 60 T will be presented highlighting key challenges that need to be solved.