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

Bose-Einstein condensate of strontium produced for first time

Scientists from the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information recently won an international competition for producing a Bose-Einstein condensate of the alkaline-earth element strontium.

Lectures from “Accelerators” workshop now available online

A series of lectures from the recent "Accelerators for America's Future" workshop in Washington DC are now available online from Fermilab.

SciAnswers, a science-based Q&A site, launches

SciScout LLC recently announced that it has launched SciAnswers, a science-related questions-and-answers site that makes it easy to ask and answer science questions.

Cryogenic Institute of New England receives ITAR registration

The Cryogenic Institute of New England recently announced that it has received approval for its International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) from the US Department of State, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

Bird disrupts LHC cooling system temporarily

From CERN news, November 6, 2009: On Tuesday, November 3, a bird carrying a baguette bread caused a short circuit in an electrical outdoor installation that serves sectors 7-8 and 8-1 of the LHC.

Luvata wins $26 million contract from DOE

Luvata Waterbury, a subsidiary of Luvata Fabrication North America, has been awarded a $26 million contract by the US Department of Energy to supply superconductive material for the ITER project.

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