Performance gap of $\mathrm{Nb_3Sn}$ cavities
$\mathrm{Nb_3Sn}$ is a superconductor that could work at higher temperature and reach twice the field of niobium. Real $\mathrm{Nb_3Sn}$ cavities reach well under half of that predicted field, for reasons not fully known.
Why it matters
$\mathrm{Nb_3Sn}$ cavities would allow compact accelerators cooled by simple cryocoolers and higher gradients for large linacs.
Review
S. Posen, D. L. Hall, Nb3Sn superconducting radiofrequency cavities: fabrication, results, properties, and prospects, Superconductor Science and Technology, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6668/30/3/033004 reference checked
See also
- Special case of Field and loss limits of superconducting RF cavities
Editors' decisions
- Accept of version 2, , on 2026-10-15. Decision record
Timestamp record
- Signed record
- 73a350cdcc5f…
- Public log
- Entry 69, in checkpoint 2,123
- In the log by
- Block 969,698, 2026-10-03
This text was in the PubPhys log by that date. The date says nothing about when the problem was first posed.