Xavier CHAUD
Xavier Chaud is a research engineer at the Laboratoire national des champs magnétiques intenses (LNCMICNRS). A specialist in superconducting materials, his work has made France one of the first countries to develop superconducting magnets rated at over 30 Tesla. He has been awarded the CNRS Crystal Medal.
After obtaining an engineering degree, Xavier Chaud continued his training abroad, where he discovered superconducting materials, one of whose main assets is to conduct electricity without any resistance. Fascinated by their atypical properties, he devoted his thesis work to the development of high-temperature superconductors, which have been at the heart of his work ever since. In 2010, he joined the LNCMI as head of the applied superconductivity group.
One of the challenges of his work is to increase the power of magnetic fields in order to open up new opportunities for research into the properties of particles and materials. With this in mind, in 2014 Xavier Chaud led the ANR Nougat1 project, which resulted in the development of coils containing a superconducting cuprate insert. The resulting prototype validates a technology enabling the design of a fully superconducting magnet beyond 30 Tesla. A competitive result that enables France to make up for its initial lag and join the leading ranks of nations in superconducting technologies.
Following this success, the research engineer was awarded the European SuperEMFL project, which develops superconducting magnets capable of reaching a magnetic field of 40 Tesla and meeting the experimental needs pre-identified by materials physicists. ” The development of magnets that consume less energy is very important for our company. Helping to bring this material out of the laboratory and into use is very exciting. confides Xavier Chaud. With his team, the research engineer also obtained EQUIPEX 2020 “FASUM” funding to set up this magnet at LNCMI. In the long term, these technologies could open up new opportunities in confined fusion imaging and spectroscopy.
Xavier Chaud was awarded the CNRS Crystal Medal for his work. ” This medal makes me realize how lucky I am, and how much freedom my management gives me to lead innovative projects. It also symbolizes the culmination of teamwork since 2010. “he shares.