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

Tevatron sets a new record

The Tevatron set a new record on Monday, March 17, 2008 when it produced more particle collisions per second than ever before. Breaking the barrier of 3E32 for the first time, the Tevatron reached a record peak luminosity of 3.15 E32 cm^ -2 sec^ -1. The record came on the...

Wild turkeys wreak havoc at Berkeley Lab

Wild turkeys have become a problem at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.

Professor Makarow new head of ESF

Professor Marja Makarow recently began her duties as Chief Executive of the European Science Foundation and is the first woman in the organization's 34-year history to hold the top position.

William Kroll new Chairman at Matheson-Trigas

In efforts to revamp its organizational structure, Matheson-Trigas chose William Kroll for the position of Chairman, effective January 1, 2008.

Air Liquide supplies helium for North Pole crossing

CSA Corporate Sustaining Member Air Liquide supplied approximately 5,000 cubic meters of helium gas to an airship that carried Jean-Louis Etienne to the North Pole for a crossing of the Arctic Ocean.

Praxair to help supply hydrogen during peak demand

An underground storage cavern integrated into Praxair's hydrogen pipeline will begin to supply hydrogen to customers during periods of planned and unplanned peak demand.

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

Colleges that offer cryogenic studies

Would you happen to know of any colleges in the US that offer cryogenics as a major? If not, should I major in something like biology or physics before, then branch off to the field of cryogenics? Any information that you could give me would be greatly appreciated, considering this...