Unraveling the mysteries of exotic superconductors
Scientists at the US Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory are using specialized techniques to help unravel the mysteries of a new type of superconductor that was discovered in 2008.
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NASA’s KSC celebrates 50th anniversary
On July 1, NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida celebrated 50 years of launching humans and machines to other planets and into low Earth orbit.
Niowave dedicates $10 million expansion facility
Niowave, Inc. dedicated its $10 million expansion facility on July 3, 2012.
Former SSC staffer: “We could have found it first.”
Dr. Michael T. Gamble, a former staff member of Los Alamos National Laboratory who contributed to management of a collaboration at the SSC, comments on the impact the loss of the SSC has had on American science.
Asymmetry may provide clue to superconductivity
Scientists offered new details regarding intriguing similarities between the quirky electronic properties of a new iron-based high-temperature superconductor (HTS) and its copper-based cousins in the journal Nature (June 21, 2012).
Henry Glyde appointed to named professorship
Henry Glyde has been named Unidel Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Delaware, effective September 1. Glyde is a Rhodes Scholar with research interests in low temperature physics and neutron scattering, quantum and classical liquids in disorder and confinement, Bose-Einstein condensation and quantum Monte Carlo methods.
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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...
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...
Power usage: cryogenic systems vs. regular refrigerators
A recent project highlighted to me that closed cycle cryogenic cooling systems use far more electrical power to reduce temperatures by a few watts than regular refrigerators. I am sure it must be something to do with the extra difficulty of removing the heat from the liquid nitrogen or similar...
Redundancy strategies for mechanical -80C freezers
I was wondering what kind of redundancy strategies are people using for their mechanical -80C freezers? I am aware of the following. Please add if you are doing something different. 1) 1 Backup freezer for every 10 freezers – Empty and maintained at -80C at all times 2) Backup C02...
Safety guidelines for handling cryo vessels of nitrogen
I am looking for any safety guidelines for handling cryogenic vessels of nitrogen indoors and outdoors. I am especially interested in recommendations for area monitors to detect leaks, flow detection devices, etc.
Method to move components in a cryogenic environment
Does anyone know of a method with which to reliably move components in a cryogenic environment? We are interested in moving detectors in a cryogenically cooled (2K) vacuum chamber, which is contained within a larger cryostat/isolation vacuum with thermal shields. As the desired horizontal or vertical displacement is between 10...