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From physicsworld.com, “Atomic spins measure ultracold temperatures”

Physicists in the US have developed a new kind of thermometer that can measure down to as low as one billionth of a degree above absolute zero and has the potential to reach just a few trillionths of a degree.

CDMS results may not be dark matter

In December of last year, the CDMS-II team came across possible evidence of dark matter, though what they think may be weakly interacting mass particles, or WIMPS, may also just be background noise.

Researchers to test new superconductor material, BSCCO2212

Materials scientists, physicists, magnet experts and engineers from seven institutions have come together on the "Very High Field Superconducting Magnet Collaboration" to test a new superconducting material, BSCCO2212.

NASA’s WISE to include Lockheed Martin cryostat

A dual-stage cryostat built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company Advanced Technology Center, Palo Alto CA, is onboard NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, which launched on December 14, 2009.

Daniel P. McGahn named AMSC President and Chief Operating Officer

American Superconductor Corporation has named Daniel P. McGahn President and Chief Operating Officer.

Oxford Instruments wins Corporate Excellence Award

From the Oxford Instruments website: The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) has announced that Oxford Instruments KK has won the prestigious Corporate Excellence category at the 2009 British Business Awards.

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

Magnetic Levitation

From http://www.superconductors.org. Magnetic-levitation is an application where superconductors perform extremely well. Transport vehicles such as trains can be made to “float” on strong superconducting magnets, virtually eliminating friction between the train and its tracks. Not only would conventional electromagnets waste much of the electrical energy as heat, they would have...

Superconductivity

From Superpower website. History of Superconductivity Superconductivity was discovered in 1911 by the Dutch physicist, Heike Kammerlingh Onnes when he was able to liquefy helium by cooling it to 4 Kelvin, or -452°F. This enabled him to cool other materials close to absolute zero and investigate their electrical properties. He...

Medical Applications of Cryogenics

Neutron Therapy Cryogenics is at the heart of nuclear accelerators. Accelerators such as Fermilab’s Tevatron make neutron therapy for cancer possible. From Fermilab Today 4/20/09: Fermilab currently offers neutron therapy. But staff at Fermilab designed and built the proton accelerator used by the nation’s first hospital-based treatment center to use...

Nuclear Physics

Al Zeller National Superconducting Cyclotron Lab (NSCL) at Michigan State University zeller@nscl.msu.edu Cryogenics has a long history in nuclear physics. The technology has its origins in the use of cold traps for maintaining a vacuum, which is required to prevent beam loss and for generating high voltages used in acceleration....

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