Patent ID: 7417425

Claim:
A continuous observation apparatus of magnetic flux distribution in which a long sample containing a superconducting material is transferred to an observation position and magnetic flux is observed sequentially at each of certain areas along a longitudinal direction of the sample, comprising: a sample transferring device for intermittently transferring the sample to the observation position; a sample cooling/retaining portion for adjusting the sample transferred to the observation position to a fixed temperature and retaining said temperature; a magnetic field generating portion for generating the magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to the sample surface at the observation position; a magneto-optical indicator film which converts magnetic flux density distribution to polarization distribution of reflected light by magneto-optical effects; a magneto-optical indicator film retaining portion at which the magneto-optical indicator film is synchronized with the transferring action by the sample transferring device so as to be detachable from the surface of the sample; an illumination optical system for irradiating linearly-polarized light to the magneto-optical indicator film; a polarization observing device for observing the polarization distribution of reflected light of the light irradiated to the magneto-optical indicator film by the illumination optical system; and a cooling mechanism for controlling temperatures at the sample cooling/retaining portion, thereby providing the sample with the fixed temperature at the observation position.