Future prospects for NMR magnets: A perspective.

Superconducting magnet technology changed dramatically with the discovery of high temperature superconductors (HTS) in 1986, an event which drove the development of much higher field magnets. However, this technology paradigm shift has been delayed by as much as a decade in the case of NMR magnets. In this paper, we will provide a historical perspective to the reasons for this delay and assess the future prospects for high- and ultrahigh-field NMR magnets resulting from current trends in the development of HTS magnet technology.