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Toward a resolution of the proton form factor problem

In the paper "Towards a Resolution of the Proton Form Factor Problem: New Electron and Positron Scattering Data" published in Physical Review Letters, D. Adikaram et al. report findings that may resolve a puzzle that has confounded physicists for the last decade: the baffling discrepancy between measurements of two different...

MIT team creates ultracold molecules

Experimental physicists at MIT have successfully cooled molecules in a gas of sodium potassium (NaK) to a temperature of 500 nanokelvins, inducing the strongest dipoles in ultracold molecules yet. Their findings, published in Physical Review Letters, support the possibility that molecules may start to exhibit exotic states of matter at...

Winners of Bernd T. Matthias Prize for Superconducting Materials announced

Three scientists have been named as recipients of the 2015 Bernd T. Matthias Prize for Superconducting Materials, an international prize awarded for innovative contributions to the field. The prize will be formally presented during the 2015 International Conference on Materials and Mechanisms of Superconductivity in Switzerland this August.

Two CryoTel CT-Fs return to Earth on the Dragon X

NASA confirmed on May 21 that the Space X Dragon successfully splashed down at 12:42 EST in the Pacific. The spacecraft was returning from the International Space Station with two POLAR freezers incorporating a CryoTel CT-F cryocooler in each.

Fermilab named a Historic Site by the American Physical Society

The American Physical Society has recognized the US Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory as a Historic Site for its nearly five decades of contributions to high energy physics.

SC study’s reported successes and failures provide valuable data

In their paper "Exploration of new superconductors and functional materials, and fabrication of superconducting tapes and wires of iron pnictides" published in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, researchers report on four years of extensive research on around 1,000 materials, with detailed insights learned from the new superconducting materials discovered...

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Stability

Stability refers to the ability of a device employing superconductors to remain in its superconducting state after part of the superconductor transitions back to its normal conducting state due to a disturbance. While the concept can apply to many superconducting devices—transmission lines, generators, motors, etc.—it is most commonly considered in...

Cable-in-Conduit Conductors

Cable-in-Conduit Conductors (CICC) are a common form of superconducting cable used in large-scale applications. There are several varieties of CICCs, but they all consist of many small, stabilized superconducting wires contained within a conduit through which a coolant (typically supercritical He II) flows. Figure 1 shows the cross section of...

Bayonet Coupling

A bayonet coupling is a demountable joint that allows for quick and easy connection and disconnection of cryogenic components, including transfer lines, cryostats, liquefiers and refrigerators. Bayonets provide a number of advantages, chief among them the ability to connect and disconnect the bayonets while components they connect are still at...

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...

Latest in Ask the Experts

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...

Separated layers of ice over a pipe

I want to know that why there are different layers of ice over a pipe carrying a cryogenic fluid, each layer separated with clear marks / lines? What do these layers signify?

Using nitrogen as a cryogen

Is it possible to achieve -200˚C using nitrogen as a cryogen?

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