Adiabatic Magnetization of Superconductors as a High-Performance Cooling Mechanism

TL;DR

This paper revisits the adiabatic magnetization of superconductors as a potential high-performance cooling method, providing a detailed dynamic analysis and identifying conditions for effective microkelvin refrigeration in nanodevices.

Contribution

It offers a comprehensive dynamic model of the adiabatic magnetization process and explores optimal conditions for achieving significant cooling effects.

Findings

Potential to reach microkelvin temperatures with proper material choice

Process efficiency can be improved with optimized initial conditions

Dissipative effects do not preclude effective cooling

Abstract

The adiabatic magnetization of a superconductor is a cooling principle proposed in the 30s, which has never been exploited up to now. Here we present a detailed dynamic description of the effect, computing the achievable final temperatures as well as the process timescales for different superconductors in various regimes. We show that, although in the experimental conditions explored so far the method is in fact inefficient, a suitable choice of initial temperatures and metals can lead to unexpectedly large cooling effect, even in the presence of dissipative phenomena. Our results suggest that this principle can be re-envisaged today as a performing refrigeration method to access the microK regime in nanodevices.