More than 110 years after this first observation of superconductivity, this field of research still remains a fascinating puzzle with many mysteries yet to be properly explained. The prospect of eliminating resistance offers many futuristic sounding promises; think of ultra-fast computers that do not overheat or electricity grids with near-zero losses. The holy grail in this field is of course finding an ambient-pressure room-temperature superconductor that is relatively easy to mass produce and maintain. Due to the sheer size of the material-space to search, the final discovery of this enigmatic substance is likely to be a task for future generations. Nonetheless, in this dissertation we aim to contribute to this epic quest by further exploring a fascinating special case from the family of superconductors, and by testing a new candidate material for the next generation of superconducting magnets.
Nowa started studying physics at the Radboud University in 2015. She completed her bachelors and masters internship at the High Field Magnet Laboratory and then continued with the PhD program there. Her experimental focus is on superconductors and magnetometry experiments. She has experience with software development in an open-source scientific setting and volunteers as a developer for the Gentoo Linux project. After completing her PhD project she left academia and now works at SURF in the Data Preservation Team.