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Work Begins to Boost LHC Luminosity

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN officially entered a new stage with a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of the civil-engineering work for its High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) upgrade. By 2026, this major project will considerably improve the performance of the LHC, increasing the number of collisions in the...

NOvA Reports Strong Evidence for Antineutrino Oscillation

For more than three years, scientists on the NOvA collaboration have observed neutrino particles as they oscillate from one type to another over a distance of 500 miles. Now, in a new result unveiled at the Neutrino 2018 conference in Heidelberg, Germany, the collaboration announced its first results using antineutrinos,...

NASA Developing Foam and Cork Insulation to Protect Deep Space Rocket

NASA is advancing state-of-the-art technology for thermal protection with more environmentally friendly materials and 3D printed molds for smaller parts. The agency says that extreme temperatures—ranging from -423°F to more than 200°F—call for novel thermal protection systems on the Space Launch System (SLS), its new heavy-lift rocket.

Spectroscopy Lab Finds New Property in Quantum Matter

A Johns Hopkins research team has proved that a particular quantum material can demonstrate electrical dipole fluctuations at conditions near -450°F, a theorized but never-before detected property involving irregular oscillations of tiny charged poles on the material.

Applied Superconductivity Center Names New Director

The reins of the Applied Superconductivity Center (ASC), hosted at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (CSA CSM), have been handed over to scientist and professor Lance Cooley, a CSA board director. Cooley takes over for his longtime mentor David Larbalestier, who will remain the chief scientist for materials at...

X-ray Tech Reveals Lost 19th Century Images

A team of scientists led by Western University in London, Ontario, Canada, has revealed how art curators can use light to recover images preserved on otherwise damaged daguerreotype silver plates.

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Helium-3

Helium-3 (3He) is one of the two stable isotopes of helium. The other is the much more common Helium-4 (4He). Neither of these isotopes should be confused with He II, which is the second liquid phase of 4He. He II was discussed in this column in the Spring 2010 edition...

Cryopumping

Cryopumping refers to the use of cryogenic temperatures to produce vacuum in enclosed spaces. More broadly, it can also refer to the removal of gases via cryogenic temperatures from a flow stream or enclosure without necessarily resulting in vacuum pressures. This is an important application of cryogenics and is used...

Thermal Acoustic Oscillations

Thermal Acoustic Oscillations (TAO) are a common event in cryogenic systems that can have significant adverse effects on the performance of the system. TAOs are sustained pressure oscillations that can occur in tubes containing gas, closed at one end (the warm end) that have a very large temperature gradient along...

Latest in Cryo Central

Air Separation and Liquefaction

by Nils Tellier, PE, President, EPSIM Corporation (CSA CSM) nils@epsim.us All illustrations courtesy EPSIM Corporation Background History of Air Separation and Liquefaction This section builds on a rich history of methods to develop deep refrigeration and cryogenic liquefaction during the 19th Century. You are encouraged to read Cryo Central’s History...

Bose-Einstein Condensate

A Bose-Einstein condensate, first proposed in 1925 by Albert Einstein based on work done by Satyendra Nath Bose (the same Bose from whom the term boson is derived), is a super-cold state of matter in which almost all of the individual atoms have “condensed” down to the lowest possible quantum...

Cold Technology for Pest Control

While it does not reach temperatures cold enough to be called cryogenic, carbon dioxide snow is at the heart of a new way of dealing with unwanted pests. It utilizes a quick freezing process that takes advantage of the properties of carbon dioxide snow and has a number of benefits...

Cryogenic Finishing

The following 3 articles discuss the uses and procedures of various type of cryogenic finishing. 1) By Robin A. Rhodes, Cryogenic Institute of New England, Inc. rrhodes@nitrofreeze.com Cryogenic Deflashing is employed to remove undesired residual mold flash that remains on molded parts after they are removed or ejected from the...

Latest in Ask the Experts