Magnetic Shield Using Proximity Coupled, Spatially Varying Superconducting Order Parameters

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has developed a magnetic shielding design that features simplicity, ease of use, reproducibility, longevity, and scalability. It does not require activation, monitoring, or wiring. The invention uses the superconducting “proximity effect” and/or the “inverse proximity effect” to form a spatially varying order parameter. When designed to expel magnetic flux from a region of space, the proximity effect(s) are used in concert to make the superconducting order parameter strongly superconducting in the center and more weakly superconducting toward the perimeter. The shield is then passively cooled through the superconducting transition temperature.