Experimental Techniques for Low Temperature Measurements

• 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

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.

This book presents a highly integrated, step-by-step approach to the design and construction of low-temperature measurement apparatus. Bulletin of the Institute of Refrigeration Overall, 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. George O. Zimmerman, Physics Today, May 2007, page 67 This extensively illustrated book presents a step-by-step approach to the design and constuction of low-temperature measurement apparatus. Many recent developments in the field not previously published are covered in this volume. CERN Courier 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 Beginners as well as [specialists] should have such a text, including the copious data on cryogenics ... Hisayasu Kobayashi, University of Tokyo I really liked the example calculations [...] If you don't find the information in the text, one can be sure that it's in the Appendix. This makes the text a 'stand-alone' book on cryostat design. Karsten Guth, Universitat Gottingen