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New Multi-Layer Insulation Hybrid is Supacool

Technical Fibre Products has launched of a new variant of its Supacool range of lightweight cryogenic tissues. It features a lightweight microfine glass spacer tissue co-wound with aluminum foil, forming the basis of multi-layer insulation or super insulation that can be inserted between the inner and outer walls of a...

Dark Matter Unseen in Hitomi’s Glimpse at Perseus Cluster

A large X-ray signal previously seen emanating from the Perseus galaxy cluster did not appear in the final data sent by the Hitomi spacecraft, casting a shadow over speculation that the anomalously bright signal might have come from dark matter.

Navy Buoys Cryogenic Radio Frequency Research

The US Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific recently awarded contracts that shore up its efforts to develop new cryogenic radio systems. The award covers a broad range of R&D, according to the bid proposal, including signal detection, conditioning, conversion, processing and storage.

Physicists Reach 91 K with Laser Cooling

A group of scientists at the University of New Mexico’s Department of Physics and Astronomy are using lasers to advance optical refrigeration, a technique that reaches cryogenic temperatures without any moving parts.

Chicago Hosts World’s Largest High-Energy Physics Conference

More than 1,300 physicists from around the world will converge in Chicago for the biennial International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP) in August to share new research results, announce new projects and talk about the most intriguing mysteries of the universe. The conference will meet August 3-10 at Chicago's...

Mayo’s New MRI is Compact, Comfortable and Powerful

Mayo Clinic has unveiled a new compact 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner designed specifically to handle scans of the head and small extremities—such as wrists, feet and ankles—that represent around 45 percent of the clinical MRI volume at the clinic.

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

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...

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