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Interlune Secures Helium-3 Agreements with Maybell Quantum and U.S. Department of Energy

Interlune, a U.S.-based space resources company, has signed landmark agreements to supply lunar-sourced helium-3 to both Maybell Quantum and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Maybell Quantum will be Interlune’s first commercial customer, receiving thousands of liters of helium-3 annually from 2029 to 2035. The helium-3 will support Maybell’s advanced...
Schematic-for-the-Pair-Density-Modulation-Within-Lattice-Unit-Cell

Atomic-Scale Imaging Unlocks New Paths to Next-Gen Superconductors

Atomic-scale imaging reveals that chalcogen atoms play a crucial role in Cooper pairing in Fe-based superconductors, offering new insights into high-Tc superconductivity mechanisms. Superconductivity in quantum materials, whether the Cooper pairing on the Fermi surface is mediated by phonons or by electronic fluctuations, is fundamentally described by Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory....

Superconductivity Inspires New Dark Matter Contender

As traditional dark matter candidates—such as weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), axions, and primordial black holes—continue to elude detection, theorists are exploring more exotic possibilities. Guanming Liang and Robert Caldwell of Dartmouth College have proposed a new dark matter model inspired by the physics of superconductivity [1]. Their proposal draws...
Glen and colleague at NASA, Cape Canaveral. Credit: McIntosh Family Collection

A Salute to an Old Friend, Glen McIntosh-1925-2025

As they say, oftentimes in life we don’t know what we’ve got until it’s gone. And only later, upon reflection, do we come to realize and appreciate what we had. Such is the case with my old friend Glen McIntosh. I first met Glen in about 1995, when applying for...
Dylan Temples. Credit: Dan Svoboda, Fermilab

Fermilab’s Lederman Fellows Drive Quantum Research to Discover Dark Matter

A trio of Lederman fellows at Fermilab are developing ways to use quantum technology to probe the universe for dark matter and other physics phenomena. While doing so, they are sharing their enthusiasm for their work to inspire the next generation of scientists. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is a leader...
The patented Cryostat-the-First (CS1) insulation test apparatus, of the original NASA CTL, in 1998. Credit: Fesmire

Remembering Dr. Stan Augustynowicz, a Cryogenics Pioneer

Stanisław (“Stan”) was my mentor, business partner, and dear friend. He was a distinguished colleague, a visionary trailblazer, and a true leader in cryogenics. Stan played a pivotal role in the Cryogenic Society of America as Director of International Affairs and Board Member, and he served as VP-USA for the...

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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...

Magnets

From “Superconductivity: Present and Future Applications” by the Coalition for the Commercial Application of Superconductors. Particle physics uses accelerators to recreate the conditions of the early universe in an attempt to piece together the complex puzzle of how we got to where we are today. These huge machines are used...

Energy Storage

From “Superconductivity: Present and Future Applications” by the Coalition for the Commercial Application of Superconductors. With power lines increasingly congested and prone to instability, strategic injection of brief bursts of real power can play a crucial role in maintaining grid reliability. Small-scale Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) systems, based on...

Astronomy

ASTRONOMY IN SPACE by Peter V. Mason, retired,  Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Visiting Associate, California Institute of Technology. Pmason@alumni.caltech.edu In thinking about the reasons to perform astronomy in space, we first consider the effect of the earth’s atmosphere.  On a scale of decreasing energy, gamma rays, cosmic rays, X-rays and...

Cryocoolers

What is a Cryocooler? A mechanism that can extract heat from an object (cooler) and by doing so draw its temperature down below approximately 150 Kelvin (cryo). — (Courtesy Dr. Willy Gully) What is the difference between a Cryocooler and a Cryostat? A cryostat is any device designed to maintain...

An Issue of Pressure and Flow Rate in a Supply Tank

Please help solve this problem: A supply tank requires a vaporizer to generate sufficient pressure to pump stored fluid up into a vehicle or tank. The available head is limited as the tank level falls and it is important to minimize the system pressure drop to maintain the desired flow...

Using MLI on VJ Line Joints or Cryo Storage Tanks

When installing Multi Layer Insulation (MLI) blankets on VJ line joints or cryo storage tanks should they be wrapped and tied down tight or loose? These are usually pre-cut to size. Also should they have an access hole at the point of where the molecular sieve is installed to help...