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US scientists celebrate the restart of the LHC

After two years of upgrades and repairs to the world's most powerful particle accelerator, proton beams once again circulated around the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). With the collider back in action, the more than 1,700 US scientists who work on LHC experiments are prepared to join thousands of their international...

NASA awards contract for test facilities operations, maintenance and engineering

NASA has selected HX5 Sierra, LLC, of Fort Walton Beach FL to provide operations, engineering and maintenance support services test facilities and laboratories for the agency's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and Plum Brook Station in Sandusky OH.

NASA Glenn celebrates Hubble’s 25th anniversary

NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland OH is celebrating the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope 25 years ago this April with several activities for children and adults to learn more about Hubble's amazing contributions over the last quarter century.

The dawn of DUNE

The neutrino experiment formerly known as LBNE has transformed. Since January, its collaboration has gained about 50 new member institutions, elected two new spokespersons and chosen a new name: Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, or DUNE. The proposed experiment will span 800 miles and will be the most powerful tool in...

LHC restart back on track

On March 30, teams working on the Large Hadron Collider resolved a problem that had been delaying the restart of the accelerator, a short circuit to ground that occurred in one of the connections with an LHC magnet.

First manganese-based superconductor discovered

Scientists have unexpectedly discovered the first manganese-based superconductor, an element whose magnetism was thought to be too strong to permit superconductivity. This research might lead to new superconductors that can better resist magnetic disruption.

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Helium-3

Helium-3 (3He) is one of the two stable isotopes of helium. The other is the much more common Helium-4 (4He). Neither of these isotopes should be confused with He II, which is the second liquid phase of 4He. He II was discussed in this column in the Spring 2010 edition...

Cryopumping

Cryopumping refers to the use of cryogenic temperatures to produce vacuum in enclosed spaces. More broadly, it can also refer to the removal of gases via cryogenic temperatures from a flow stream or enclosure without necessarily resulting in vacuum pressures. This is an important application of cryogenics and is used...

Thermal Acoustic Oscillations

Thermal Acoustic Oscillations (TAO) are a common event in cryogenic systems that can have significant adverse effects on the performance of the system. TAOs are sustained pressure oscillations that can occur in tubes containing gas, closed at one end (the warm end) that have a very large temperature gradient along...

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