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Researchers Engineer Ultra Sensitive Temperature Sensor

Researchers in Brazil have created an optical thermometer capable of measuring temperatures from 750 to 80 K. It operates in real time and in well-defined regions with a spatial resolution ranging from a centimeter to a micrometer. It also has practically no effect at all on the temperature of the...

Researchers Cool Chip Below 3 mK, Establish New Low Temperature Record

Physicists at the University of Basel in Switzerland have succeeded in cooling a nanoelectronic chip to a temperature lower than 3 mK. The research team used magnetic cooling to cool the electrical connections as well as the chip itself.

Dark Energy Survey Publicly Releases Data Trove

Scientists on the Dark Energy Survey publicly released data from the project's first three years during a special session held at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington DC. The release includes information on about 400 million astronomical objects, from distant galaxies billions of light-years away to stars in our...

Separate Research Teams Advance Quantum Simulators

Researchers at the Harvard-MIT Center for Ultracold Atoms and at the Joint Quantum Institute at the University of Maryland have announced complementary advances in quantum studies that constitute a major step towards the realization of large-scale quantum machines.

ITER Passes 50 Percent Marker on Journey to First Plasma

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a project to prove that fusion power is both sustainable and producible on a commercial scale, reached a major milestone at the end of 2017 when construction work towards “First Plasma” passed 50 percent.

MSU Establishes Cryogenic Initiative at FRIB

The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) should garner a lot of attention in 2022 when it first delivers the intense beams that scientists will use to study everything from nuclear astrophysics to fundamental interactions and applications for society including in medicine, homeland security and industry. But the facility is...

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Dewar

A dewar is a type of cryostat named after Sir James Dewar, the researcher who first developed the concept of a vacuum insulated container with silvered walls to reflect thermal radiation. Dewar was the first to liquefy hydrogen, and he created the device to store his discovery. The thermos bottle...

Stirling and Gifford-McMahon Cryocoolers

Stirling and Gifford-McMahon (GM) cryocoolers are two of the most commonly used cryocoolers in cryogenics. Both devices have a significant industrial base and operate at a wide range of temperatures and capacities. The thermodynamic cycles for both of these cryocoolers are quite similar. The Stirling cycle consists of a compressor,...

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

A significant commercial application of cryogenics is the liquefaction, transport and storage of natural gas. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is generally 95 percent methane with a few percent ethane and much lower concentrations of propane and butane. LNG liquefies at 111.6 K. Unlike many applications of cryogenics, the motivation for...

Latest in Cryo Central

History of Cryogenics

From the Fall 1999 issue of Cold Facts magazine Millennium Breakthroughs A variety of CSA members give different perspectives on the past millennium: What were the most significant breakthroughs in cryogenics during the past millennium? Prof. R.G. Scurlock, Kryos Technology, scurlock@soton.ac.uk (“Breakthrough” = way through obstacles — Oxford English Dictionary)...

Cryobiology

Andreas Sputtek Past President Society for Cryobiology sputtek@uke.uni-hamburg.de or http://www.sputtek.de/. The word cryobiology (from the Greek words “cryo” = cold, “bios” = life, and “logos” = science) literally signifies the science of life at low temperatures. In practice, this field comprises the study of any biological material or system (e.g.,...

Cryogenic Insulation

James E. Fesmire Cryogenics Test Laboratory NASA Kennedy Space Center james.e.fesmire@nasa.gov Introduction In today’s world, the use of cryogenics and low-temperature refrigeration is taking a more and more significant role. From the food industry, transportation, energy, and medical applications to the Space Shuttle, cryogenic liquids must be stored, handled, and...

Cryogenic Treatment of Materials

F.J. Diekman Controlled Thermal Processing, Inc. info@metal-wear.com Cryogenic Processing (also called cryogenic treatment, and incorrectly “cryogenic tempering”) is a process that uses cryogenic temperatures to modify materials to enhance their performance. Cryogenic Processing involves the slow reduction in temperature of the material to at least -300°F (-185°C) and holding the...

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