Experimental Techniques for Low-Temperature Measurements: Cryostat Design, Material Properties and Superconductor Critical-Current Testing

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.

Table of Contents:
Part I Cryostat Design and Materials Selection 1: Introduction to Measurement Cryostats and Cooling Methods 2: Heat Transfer at Cryogenic Temperatures 3: Cryostat Construction 4: Wiring and Connections 5: Temperature Measurement and Control 6: Properties of Solids at Low Temperatures Part II Electrical Transport Measurements: Sample Holders and Contacts 7: Sample Holders 8: Sample Contacts Part III Superconductor Critical-Current Measurements and Data Analysis 9: Critical-Current Measurements 10: Critical-Current Data Analysis Appendixes

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.

Review :
`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 Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, Florida `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