Kiloteslas

A kilotesla is a unit of magnetic flux density in the International System of Units (SI). It is equal to 1,000 teslas. The tesla, abbreviated as T, is the SI derived unit for magnetic field strength. It is defined as one weber per square meter (Wb/m²). Therefore, one kilotesla (kT) is equivalent to 1,000 Wb/m².

The kilotesla is a very large unit of magnetic field strength. For comparison, the Earth's magnetic field at the surface is approximately 30 to 60 microteslas (µT), which is 0.00003 to 0.00006 teslas. The magnetic field of a typical refrigerator magnet is around 0.005 teslas. Powerful laboratory magnets, such as those used in MRI machines, can generate magnetic fields on the order of 1 to 3 teslas, or up to 7 teslas in some research applications.

To reach a kilotesla, a magnetic field would need to be 1,000 times stronger than a 1-tesla magnet. Such field strengths are generally not achievable with conventional electromagnets or permanent magnets. Extremely high magnetic fields, in the megatesla (MT) or even gigatesla (GT) range, are generated only in specialized astrophysical phenomena like magnetars or through transient, high-energy events such as laser-plasma interactions. Therefore, the kilotesla unit is rarely encountered in everyday contexts and is primarily used in theoretical physics or in discussions of extreme magnetic phenomena.