Effects of fast neutron irradiation at low temperature on the properties of Nb-Ti superconductor wires

The object of this work was to estimate the effects of neutron irradiation at 77K on commercial stabilized superconductor wires. Irradiation doses of 10¹⁸to 10¹⁹fast neutrons per cm²were explored and the critical current measured in magnetic fields extending from 2 to 8 Teslas. A reduction in the critical Current density, depending on the type of the conductor was observed and for the single core wire a decrease of the take off voltage indicates a loss of stability.