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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
Magnetization studies provide a facile and convenient means for investigating high temperature superconductors. This work provides an overview and some specific examples of the types of information attainable through magnetic experiments. Regimes to be discussed include the Meissner region with low applied magnetic fields; the mixed state in higher fields at high temperatures, where equilibrium superconductive properties are accessible; and the magnetically irreversible mixed state at lower temperatures, often with large critical current densities Jc. Generally, the critical currents in the last region are metastable. The associated flux creep phenomenon also provides insight into the materials problem of optimizing the pinning of vortices, in order to maximize Jc.