Experimental Techniques: Cryostat Design, Material Properties and Superconductor Critical-Current Testing

by Jack Ekin

Overview

This book presents a highly integrated, step-by-step approach to the design and construction of low-temperature measurement apparatus. It is effectively two books in one: A textbook on cryostat design techniques and an appendix data handbook that provides materials-property data for carrying out that design. The main text encompasses a wide range of information, written for specialists, without leaving beginning students behind. After summarizing cooling methods, Part I provides core information in an accessible style on techniques for cryostat design and fabrication - including heat-transfer design, selection of materials, construction, wiring, and thermometry, accompanied by many graphs, data, and clear examples. Part II gives a practical user's perspective of sample mounting techniques and contact technology. Part III applies the information from Parts I and II to the measurement and analysis of superconductor critical currents, including in-depth measurement techniques and the latest developments in data analysis and scaling theory. The appendix is a ready reference handbook for cryostat design, encompassing seventy tables compiled from the contributions of experts and over fifty years of literature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198570547
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/07/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	704
Product dimensions:	9.89(w) x 6.88(h) x 1.59(d)

About the Author

Jack Ekin
NIST
Div. 818.03
325 Broadway St.
Boulder, CO 80305, USA
Jack Ekin is a Research Physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, where his contributions have spanned a wide range of topics in low-temperature physics, including studies of fundamental conduction processes in normal metals, electro-mechanical properties of both high- and low-Tc superconductors, and interface conduction in thin films and nanostructures. He completed a B.S. degree at the University of Michigan, conducted his early graduate work in physics at the University of Heidelberg as a Fulbright Scholar, and received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University. Currently, he also holds an appointment as Lecturer at the University of Colorado. He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He has published over 150 cryogenic research articles, textbook chapters, and patents, and has lectured and consulted internationally in the field of low-temperature measurements.

Table of Contents

Part ICryostat Design and Materials Selection1. Introduction to Measurement Cryostats and Cooling Methods2. Heat Transfer at Cryogenic Temperatures3. Cryostat Construction4. Wiring and Connections5. Temperature Measurement and Control6. Properties of Solids at Low TemperaturesPart IIElectrical Transport Measurements: Sample Holders and Contacts7. Sample Holders8. Sample ContactsPart IIISuperconductor Critical-Current Measurements and Data Analysis9. Critical-Current Measurements10. Critical-Current Data AnalysisAppendixes

Editorial Reviews

"At last a new book, not a collection of technical papers, has been published on the techniques of low-tempurature measurements. ... I highly recommend Ekin's book. It is informative and well written, for beginners who are starting research at low temperatures and for veterans who will benefit from the author's experience."— Physics Today

"I could not wait for this book to appear in print. I will make it required reading for anyone designing cryogenic probes for use in our laboratory."—Bruce Brandt, U.S. National High Magnetic

"I am very impressed with the mixture of rigour and practicality that the book offers. [...] The charts are a treasure trove of practical information."—Mark Colclough, University of Birmingham

"... an invaluable resource to interested scientists and engineers. "—Adam Gromko, University of Colorado, Boulder

From the Publisher