Test of a Liquid Argon TPC in a magnetic field and investigation of high temperature superconductors in liquid argon and nitrogen

TL;DR

This study evaluates a liquid argon TPC's performance in a magnetic field and explores the feasibility of using high temperature superconductors within liquid argon for future large-scale detectors.

Contribution

It demonstrates that a small LAr TPC's imaging is unaffected by a 0.55 T magnetic field and investigates the operation of HTS superconducting solenoids in liquid argon and nitrogen.

Findings

Magnetic field did not affect LAr TPC imaging.

HTS cables maintain critical current in liquid argon and nitrogen.

Prototype HTS solenoid successfully tested in cryogenic conditions.

Abstract

Tests with cosmic ray muons of a small liquid argon time projection chamber (LAr TPC) in a magnetic field of 0.55 T are described. No effect of the magnetic field on the imaging properties were observed. In view of a future large, magnetized LAr TPC, we investigated the possibility to operate a high temperature superconducting (HTS) solenoid directly in the LAr of the detector. The critical current $I_c$ of HTS cables in an external magnetic field was measured at liquid nitrogen and liquid argon temperatures and a small prototype HTS solenoid was built and tested.