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Cleaning the LHC, Where Air Particles Count as Dirt

Inside the Large Hadron Collider, beams of particles sprint 17 miles around in opposite directions through a pair of evacuated beam pipes. The interior of the pipes needs to be spotless, but it’s not dirt or grime that clogs the LHC—it’s microscopic air molecules.

Cool Pair Plus Expands Distribution Services to Asia

Wincosyn Solution Co., Ltd., of China has selected Cool Pair Plus (CSA CSM) to support its multiple MRI systems, specifically magnet sub-systems, throughout China. Wincosyn Solution is an integrated delivery network of nine independent service companies that provide hospitals turnkey solutions for CT, MRI, and Cath Labs, ECT and linear...

“Bad Metal” Reveals Clues to High-Temperature Superconductivity

A research collaboration based at Stony Brook University has found that “stripes” of electronic charge, which may play a key role in superconductivity, persist across surprisingly high temperatures, shape conductivity and have direction-dependent properties. The findings—published in Physical Review Letters—came as the group studied metals that conduct electricity poorly, looking...

NIST Hybrid Cooler Hits 2 Kelvin

NIST scientists have devised a novel hybrid system for cooling superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPD). It uses a pulse-tube refrigerator cooled to 10 K to precool a Joule-Thomson cryocooler that can then reach 2 K. That level of cooling has typically been achieved with liquid helium systems that are costly,...

Beam Delivered to Muon g-2, First Results Expected Later this Year

Accelerators at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (CSA CSM) have delivered beam to the Muon g-2 experiment for the first time, kicking off a three-year effort to measure what happens to those particles when placed in a precise magnetic field. The answer could rewrite scientists’ picture of the universe and...

NY Allocates $15 Million for Brookhaven Cryo-Electron Microscope

The Brookhaven National Laboratory has announced a $15 million allocation from New York State to fund a cryo-electron microscope at the Long Island Facility for Electron Microscopy, a new facility on its campus. The microscope will operate at 77 K and will provide researchers with a new look at molecular...

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Liquid Hydrogen

Hydrogen becomes a liquid at 20K and 1 bar. Liquid hydrogen (LH2) is an important substance in industry, transportation and research. Industrial uses of hydrogen include applications in the electronics, glass, chemical and metal processing fields. In these applications, the hydrogen is generally used as a room temperature gas but...

Superconducting Radiofrequency Cavities

Superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities represent an important application of cryogenics and superconductivity. SRF cavities are a technology for accelerating charged particle beams via the transfer of radiofrequency (RF) energy to the beams via resonant structures. As such, they are frequently found in large particle accelerators used for scientific research....

Thermal Radiation Shields

Actively cooled thermal radiation shields are a common feature of cryostats whose lowest temperature is less than 77K. These shields, which typically operate at temperatures between that of LN2 and 40K, block thermal radiation from higher temperatures from reaching lower temperature cryogenic components or fluids. Since the heat radiated from...

Magnets

From “Superconductivity: Present and Future Applications” by the Coalition for the Commercial Application of Superconductors. Particle physics uses accelerators to recreate the conditions of the early universe in an attempt to piece together the complex puzzle of how we got to where we are today. These huge machines are used...

Energy Storage

From “Superconductivity: Present and Future Applications” by the Coalition for the Commercial Application of Superconductors. With power lines increasingly congested and prone to instability, strategic injection of brief bursts of real power can play a crucial role in maintaining grid reliability. Small-scale Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) systems, based on...

Astronomy

ASTRONOMY IN SPACE by Peter V. Mason, retired,  Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Visiting Associate, California Institute of Technology. Pmason@alumni.caltech.edu In thinking about the reasons to perform astronomy in space, we first consider the effect of the earth’s atmosphere.  On a scale of decreasing energy, gamma rays, cosmic rays, X-rays and...

Cryocoolers

What is a Cryocooler? A mechanism that can extract heat from an object (cooler) and by doing so draw its temperature down below approximately 150 Kelvin (cryo). — (Courtesy Dr. Willy Gully) What is the difference between a Cryocooler and a Cryostat? A cryostat is any device designed to maintain...

An Issue of Pressure and Flow Rate in a Supply Tank

Please help solve this problem: A supply tank requires a vaporizer to generate sufficient pressure to pump stored fluid up into a vehicle or tank. The available head is limited as the tank level falls and it is important to minimize the system pressure drop to maintain the desired flow...

Using MLI on VJ Line Joints or Cryo Storage Tanks

When installing Multi Layer Insulation (MLI) blankets on VJ line joints or cryo storage tanks should they be wrapped and tied down tight or loose? These are usually pre-cut to size. Also should they have an access hole at the point of where the molecular sieve is installed to help...