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Electrons Trapped in Liquid Helium Show Promise as Quantum Bits

A team of researchers from the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory (CSA CSM) and Yale University has developed a method to trap and manipulate electrons, opening the door for using the particles as quantum bits. Electrons represent an ideal quantum bit, according to the team, with a "spin" that...

NASA Releases Dozens of Patents into Public Domain

NASA has released 56 formerly patented agency technologies into the public domain, making its government developed technologies freely available for unrestricted commercial use. Additionally, a searchable database is also available that catalogs thousands of expired NASA patents already in the public domain.

Cryogenically Cooled Heat Pipes Used for Refrigeration

Scientists at Brunel University London, in collaboration with Air Products PLC, have engineered a new method to build freezers using advanced cryogenically cooled heat pipe technology. The units, capable of reaching temperatures as low as -180 °C, are likely to be used for medical storage, cooling and storing samples ranging...

Fermilab Breaks Ground on Short-Baseline Near Detector Building

Fermilab broke ground on April 27 on the building that will house the future Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND). The particle detector is one of three that scientists will use to search for the sterile neutrino, a hypothesized particle that scientists say could not only increase understanding for neutrinos already known,...

SVC Partners with ASM International

The Society of Vacuum Coaters (SVC) and ASM International have announced the formation of a strategic alliance designed to bring the complementary strengths of both organizations together to better serve their global members and the community at large. As part of the alliance, ASM will begin providing comprehensive association management...

Air Liquide Upgrades, Expands Texas Complex

Air Liquide has completed a major upgrade and expansion of its Bayport industrial complex located just east of Houston. The complex covers 88 acres of land and supplies oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, electricity, steam and industrial and demineralized water to customers in many industries. The facility is central to Air...

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Joule-Thomson Effect

The Joule-Thomson (JT) effect is a thermodynamic process that occurs when a fluid expands from high pressure to low pressure at constant enthalpy (an isenthalpic process). Such a process can be approximated in the real world by expanding a fluid from high pressure to low pressure across a valve. Under...

Current Leads

One of the challenges of using superconducting magnets is the connection of the magnet to a room temperature power supply. This is accomplished via current leads. The trick is that current leads should ideally have a low heat leak, since they connect room temperature to cryogenic temperature, while at the...

Multilayer Insulation

Multilayer insulation (also referred to as superinsulation) is a key component in the reduction of heat leak to cryogenic systems due to thermal radiation. MLI consists of a series of uncooled reflective surfaces placed in the vacuum space between two surfaces, one warmer than the other. Generally speaking, for ideal...

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

Dry ice vs. LN2 for preserving tissue

I was wondering if anyone could provide feedback/data on whether it is best in terms of preserving tissue quality to freeze tissue in OCT using dry ice versus liquid nitrogen?

Are there lists of existing biorepositories?

We are a relatively new Biorepository that was developed as part of a large breast cancer epidemiology study, and thus far we have accumulated DNA on over 8000 women along with extensive questionnaire, mammography, and case status data. I was wondering, are there lists of existing Biorepositories with their contents?...

Heat flux value for inner vessel when vacuum insulation fails

To size a relief valve for a LN2 cryostat I have to know “worse case” boil-off rate when vacuum insulation failed and inner vessel with LN2 is in direct contact with room temperature air at 300K. So, I am looking for a heat flux value (watt/m2) to LN2 inner vessel...

Trying to design a system to store ammonia at -33°C

I am working on a project where we are trying to design a system to store ammonia at -33°C. In order to size the compressors to maintain the ammonia in the liquid state, I need to estimate the heat gained from the environment including the radiation from the sun and...

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