Thermal and high magnetic field treatment of materials and associated apparatus

A process for altering characteristics of a workpiece which includes an electrically-conductive material, the process comprising the steps of:

• providing a workpiece comprising an electrically conductive material within a bore of a magnet;
• providing, between the workpiece and the magnet, a means for thermally treating the workpiece;
• exposing the workpiece to an ultrahigh magnetic field of at least one Telsa generated by the magnet;
• and
• thermally treating the workpiece by the means in conjunction with the exposure of the workpiece to the magnetic field so that the characteristics of the workpiece are affected by both the ultrahigh magnetic field and the thermal treatment.