During the processing of superconducting Nb3Sn wire, several intermediate intermetallic phases including a previously encountered Cu-Nb-Sn phase show up. The yet unknown crystal structure of this phase is now identified by a combination of different experimental techniques and database search to be of the hexagonal NiMg2 type with a proposed composition of about (Nb0.75Cu0.25)Sn2. The structure determination started from an evaluation of the lattice parameters from EBSD Kikuchi patterns from quenched material suggesting hexagonal or orthorhombic symmetry. A database search then led to the hexagonal NiMg2 type structure, the presence of which was confirmed by a Rietveld analysis on the basis of high energy synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data. Assuming a partial substitution of Nb in orthorhombic NbSn2 by Cu, the change of the valence electron concentration provokes a structural transformation from the CuMg2 type for NbSn2 to the NiMg2 type for (Nb0.75Cu0.25)Sn2. In the previous literature the (Nb0.75Cu0.25)Sn2 phase described here has occasionally been referred to as Nausite.
In this paper, safety-related experiments with ultra-short laser pulses (down to 30 fs) on various components
(goggles, curtains) for laser protection are presented. The damage and failure behaviour of
protective devices has been investigated dependent on practical conditions such as pulse duration, laser
.uence, pulse number, and repetition rate.
The e.ects of laser-irradiation on materials can be roughly divided into transient ones like laserinduced
transmission (LIT) or short-lived colour centres and permanent damages like the stable colour
centres and ablation. The former e.ects are particularly important for transparent devices like laser
goggles.
To obtain a complete overview on laser safety issues and the prevention of failure there are two
important .elds of investigation:
1. the e.ects of laser radiation on human eyes and skin, and
2. on the possible protection materials.
Both .elds have been addressed during the recently .nished German project SAFEST (safety aspects
in femtosecond technology). The amount of safety data available in the ultrashort pulse region has
been increased remarkably. This allows for a re-evaluation of known laser protection materials for this
region of pulse durations and for the evaluation of new designs that promise high protection levels
while being light-weight and convenient to use.