The proposed Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) will operate at ion energies of 7 to 100 GeV/Amu for ions as heavy as Au197. This paper discusses the superconducting magnet system for this machine. It will consist of 372 dipoles typically 9.7 meters long with an operating field of 3.4 Tesla, 492 quadrupoles with typical length 1.4 meters, gradient 76 T/m, and approximately 1000 sextupole and corrector magnets. A detailed design has been developed for the dipoles which will have a clear bore of 76 mm; less detailed designs are presented for the other components. A proof-of-concept magnet has been constructed and successfully tested. 3 refs., 5 figs.

The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider now under construction at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is a colliding ring accelerator to be completed in 1999. Through collisions of heavy ions it is hoped to observe the creation of matter at extremely high temperatures and densities, similar to what may have occurred in the original ''Big Bang.'' The collider rings will consist of 1740 superconducting magnet elements. Some of elements are being manufactured by industrial partners (Northrop Grumman and Everson Electric). Others are being constructed or assembled at BNL. A description is given of the magnet designs, the plan for manufacturing and test results. In the manufacturing of the magnets, emphasis has been placed on uniformity of their performance and on quality. Results so far indicate that this emphasis has been very successful.

The magnet system for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven is briefly described. The basic layout of the RHIC and a regular arc cell are shown, and the layout of the magnets to bring the beams into collision is described. The characteristics of the dipole and quadrupole magnets required for the arcs and intersection regions are given. The research and development effort has focused on the arc dipoles, and the current dipole design is shown. Magnet performance characteristics are reported. The arc quadrupole design and characteristics are given. (LEW).

Superconducting helical dipole magnets will be used in RHIC to maintain polarization and to perform localized spin rotations at the two major experimental detector regions. Requirements for the helical dipole system are discussed, and the status of magnet prototypes is reported.