NONDESTRUCTIVE MAGNETOOPTICAL IMAGING ANALYSIS OF SUPERCONDUCTING (BI,PB)(2)SR2CA2CU3OX COMPOSITES

The superconducting filaments in (Bi, Pb)(2)Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox/Ag composite t apes have been imaged directly through the outer silver sheath of an u npolished tape by means of a magneto-optical imaging technique. The im ages reveal the morphology and alignment of the uppermost layer of fil aments located as much as 112 mu m below the unpolished tape surface, the depths of these filaments, and the homogeneity of the magnetic flu x distribution within these filaments. These results demonstrate that the magneto-optical technique is a valuable nondestructive tool for an alyzing (Bi, Pb)(2)Sr2Ca2CU3Ox composite tapes.