The renaissance of magnet technology started in the early 1950s with the establishment of high-energy accelerators. About a decade later in 1961, or fifty years after the discovery of superconductivity, high-field superconducting laboratory magnets became a reality. Conventional still the major beam-handling and experimen electromagnets, which are tal devices used in laboratories, operate at zero efficiency. To generate high magnetic fields in a useful volume, considerable amounts of power are needed. Superconducting d. c. magnets do not require any power at all. It is somewhat depressing to...