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LUX Experiment Ends, Dark Matter Remains Elusive

Researchers from the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) dark matter experiment have confirmed that the experiment yielded no trace of dark matter during its final 20-month run (October 2014 - May 2016), even though its sensitivity far exceeded original expectations. The announcement was made during a presentation at the International Dark...

Physicists Collide Ultracold Atoms, Observe Pauli Exclusion

Physicists from New Zealand's University of Otago have used steerable 'optical tweezers' to split minute clouds of ultracold atoms and slowly smash them together to directly observe the Pauli Exclusion, a key theoretical principle of quantum mechanics.

UK Retailer Testing LN2 Engine in Its Refrigerated Delivery Trucks

Sainsbury’s, a major UK based retailer, has become the first company in the world to introduce a refrigerated delivery truck cooled by a liquid nitrogen powered engine. The company says the engine is expected to eliminate all emissions associated with refrigeration. It will undergo a three-month trial during which time...

Helium Discovered in Tanzania, Link to Volcanic Activity Verified

A new approach to gas exploration has uncovered a huge helium gas field in Tanzania, a discovery that could address the increasingly critical shortage of this vital yet rare element. A research group from Oxford and Durham universities developed the approach, together with Helium One, a Norway-headquartered helium exploration company.

SCAI Announces Collaboration Agreement with SynSysCo

Sumitomo (SHI) Cryogenics of America, Inc. (SCAI), a CSA CSM, has announced a joint collaboration with Synergy Systems Corp (SynSysCo) for the distribution and service of Sumitomo’s Marathon® CP Cryopumps across North America.

Titan Shines Light on High-Temperature Superconductor Pathway

Scientists from the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) (CSA CSM) have identified an alternative route to superconducting for copper oxides, or cuprates, in the pseudogap phase, an in-between phase before superconductivity in which cuprates exhibit both insulating and conducting properties.

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Mixed Refrigerant Cycles

Most cryogenic refrigeration systems, both large scale systems and cryocoolers, use helium as a working fluid. There are a number of advantages to helium, not the least of which is that helium remains a fluid down to the lowest achievable temperatures. In order to freeze helium, pressures of over 20...

Fountain Pumps and He II Phase Separators

Helium II (He II), the second liquid phase of the 4He isotope described in this column in Cold Facts Spring 2010 (http://2csa.us/he2), can be modeled as consisting of two interpenetrating fluids. One, the superfluid component, has zero viscosity and entropy and the other, the normal fluid component, has nonzero viscosity...

Turboexpanders

A vital technology in the refrigerators and liquefiers described in Cold Facts Volume 31 Number 3 is that of turboexpanders. These devices are rotating machines in which the process fluid (e.g., helium) does work against the turboexpander while moving from high pressure to a lower pressure and thus is cooled....

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...

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