Cold Facts Digital – The go-to place for Cryogenics and Superconductivity

International team at Keck Observatory strengthens Big Bang theory

Using the most powerful telescope on Earth, an international team of scientists has discovered that the moments just after the Big Bang happened more like the theory predicts, eliminating a significant discrepancy that troubled physicists for two decades.

Resistivity switch is window to role of magnetism in iron-based superconductors

Physicists at the US Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory have discovered surprising changes in electrical resistivity in iron-based superconductors. The findings, reported in Nature Communications, offer further evidence that magnetism and superconductivity are closely related in this class of novel superconductors.

Oxford Instruments dilution refrigerator plays role in D-Wave quantum computer

Oxford Instruments’ cryofree™ dilution refrigerator system, Triton®, is an important component in the latest quantum computer to be supplied by D-Wave Systems Inc to the new Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab in the US.

European XFEL underground construction completed

An important milestone was reached at Germany’s largest science construction site: The underground civil engineering work for the X-ray laser European XFEL has been completed, and underground construction is almost finished.

Researchers create microscale pumps to evacuate tiny vacuum chambers

DARPA-funded researchers recently demonstrated the world’s smallest vacuum pumps. This breakthrough technology may create new national security applications for electronics and sensors that require a vacuum: highly sensitive gas analyzers that can detect a chemical or biological attack, extremely accurate laser-cooled chip-scale atomic clocks and microscale vacuum tubes.

Canadian National Railway orders four LNG tenders from Westport

Westport Innovations Inc. has announced the launch of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tender product solution with an order for four tenders from Canadian National Railway.

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

Cryogenic Electronics

Randall Kirschman, consulting physicist, Mountain View, California ExtElect@gmail.com Cryogenic electronics—the operation of electronic devices, circuits, and systems at cryogenic temperatures—has been a valuable technology for decades. Cryogenic electronics (also referred to as low-temperature electronics, or cold electronics) can be based on semiconductive devices, on superconductive devices, or on a combination...

Particle Physics: High Energy Physics

Cryogenics and High-Energy Physics 1. From symmetry magazine: http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/cms/?pid=1000627: Cryogenics is the study of how materials behave at temperatures near absolute zero. In high-energy particle accelerators, such frigid temperatures reduce the electrical resistance of wires in superconducting magnets, increasing the magnet strength and allowing faster particle acceleration. The same holds...

HTS Degaussing Systems

From the Spring 2009 issue of Cold Facts (Volume 25, Number 2): Thanks to a joint project by the US Navy and a number of industry partners, high temperature superconducting (HTS) technology is now at the heart of an advanced degaussing system aboard the USS Higgins at the naval station...

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

From http://www.superconductors.org: An area where superconductors can perform a life-saving function is in the field of biomagnetism. Doctors need a non-invasive means of determining what’s going on inside the human body. By impinging a strong superconductor-derived magnetic field into the body, hydrogen atoms that exist in the body’s water and...

Latest in Ask the Experts

Company to assist with developing a LN2 cooling system for EDX detector use?

Can you recommend a company to assist us in developing a LN2 cooling system for EDX detector use?

Data on thermal expansion down to 40K

For our cold mechanics, we use ball bearings from ADR from stainless steel which is AISI 440C, DIN X105CrMo17, W.Nr. 1.4125. Does anyone know the data of thermal expansion of this material down to 40 K?

Difference between radar and servo gauge for LNG tanks?

What is the difference between radar and servo gauge for LNG tanks? How do I understand the gauging system for LNG tanks and choose the best one?

Materials for "cryogenics in spacetech"?

I had to take a seminar in a national competition that is to be held in our country on the topic “cryogenics in spacetech.” For this, I need some materials related to it, and I thought to approach you for help. Can you suggest some relevant materials?

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