Visit of Dr. Eric E. Hellstrom to Brazil for scientific activities, seminars, experiments and short-course within the field of superconductivity

• Grant number: 10/17917-6
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: December 05, 2010
• End date: December 18, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Durval Rodrigues Junior
• Grantee: Durval Rodrigues Junior
• Visiting researcher: Eric E. Hellstrom
• Visiting researcher institution: Florida State University, United States
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Lorena , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Dr. Eric E. Hellstrom is a professor and researcher working in the Applied Superconductivity Center (ASC) and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL), Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA. Dr. Hellstrom has worked on superconductivity, materials development, and characterization. His research is well known and well referenced by researchers in the field. His expertise includes works on low and high temperature superconductors, mainly on Bi2223 and Bi2212 wires and tapes, and coated conductors (Y123), besides innovative works on the new pnictides based in iron and arsenic. The works of the researcher include preparation of materials using high energy ball milling and mechanical alloying. Dr. Hellstrom is part of an international collaboration working with the research group of Prof. Dr. Durval Rodrigues Jr. at the Departamento de Engenharia de Materiais, of the Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (former FAENQUIL), Universidade de São Paulo, Lorena, SP. This collaborative project has been developed to study the co-doping of MgB2 with AlB2-type diborides, carbon, SiC, and carbon nanotubes, and the influence on the improvement of the transport properties and the upper critical magnetic field Hc2 of this important superconductor of MgB2. As part of this collaboration, Prof. Rodrigues spent a sabbatical year in the USA from August/2006 to January/2008 working within ASC. Several papers have been published as result of this collaboration between the American and Brazilian groups, and other papers are in progress. We intend to expand this collaboration even further in the future, including exchange of students and researchers for short periods of time. The continuation of the collaboration work is natural and includes one more visit of Dr. Eric Hellstrom to Brazil. In 2008, Dr. Hellstrom visited the facilities in Lorena, giving seminars and working in our collaborative research projects. Several discussions helped to solve problems in our researchs in Brazil and in the United States, enabling the advance of the works. In the first week of September/2010 we had the defense of the PhD work of my student Eliana Cursino, with work related to the collaboration with the ASC-NHMFL and with Dr. Hellstrom on Bi2212 superconductors. The intention during the new visit is to discuss the most recent studies and results, and to have Dr. Hellstrom presenting seminars for the research groups in Lorena, mainly to graduation and undergraduation students. Dr. Hellstrom will also present the short-course "High Tc Superconductors and Pnictides", for researchers and students of São Paulo. This will be the second time Dr. Hellstrom will visit Lorena and the direct exchange of information will be very important. We will try to fix another seminar for the Department of Physics of Materials, at the main Campus of USP in São Paulo-Capital. These seminars intend to show, diffuse and create correlations with the work that has been developed at the Applied Superconductivity Center in Tallahassee, which is one of the premier superconductivity centers in the world. Dr. Hellstrom will help to optimize the use of the new equipments installed in Lorena to prepare samples using high energy ball milling in a glove-box. To make the best use of Dr. Hellstrom's time in Brazil, the visit is planned for the period 05-18 of December of 2010. Dr. Hellstrom will be finished teaching courses at the Florida State University on December 3rd, 2010, and we plan to start his activities in Brazil just after that, to have the visit before the end of 2010. These scientific exchanges of researchers and experiences are very important to promote and advance the area of superconductivity in Brazil, and for the development of young researchers. The visit of Dr. Hellstrom will improve the interaction with researchers and students, besides the intention to create more interest on the part of Brazilian students in this important, frontier area of research and development. (AU)