New pulsed laser deposition tool to predict superconductor failures tool purchase underwritten by U.S. Navy

Tool purchase underwritten by U.S. Navy

2023-06-28

(Press-News.org) A researcher at the Advanced Manufacturing Institute and the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston (TCSUH) has found a way to reduce superconductor failures, enabled by a Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) tool. The popular thin film deposition instrument will be purchased with an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research.

At extremely low temperatures (as low as cryogenic temperatures), superconductors allow electric current to flow without resistance and produce strong magnetic fields. That’s the principle behind Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines, particle accelerators used for subatomic physics research, magnetically levitated high-speed trains deployed in Japan and minesweepers being developed by the U.S. Navy to detect undersea mines.

“The PLD tool will be used to fabricate thin films of several types of materials that can enable advanced superconductor tapes,” said Venkat Selvamanickam, M.D. Anderson Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Superconductor tapes are second generation superconductor wires in the form of metal tape.

“Specifically, we are developing ‘intelligent superconductor tapes’ that can inherently act as a very fast sensor to detect impending quench that can cause catastrophic failure of expensive coils, magnets and cables that are constructed with superconductors,” said Selvamanickam.

Quench refers to a sudden transition from a superconducting state to a normal state. When a coil, magnet or cable that carries hundreds of amperes in a superconducting state suddenly quenches at a localized region, that portion of the coil, magnet or cable will be irreparably damaged.

“We have developed a novel method to use the superconductor itself as a quench detection sensor. A type of such an ‘intelligent superconductor tape’ requires incorporation of specific thin films in the superconductor architecture. The PLD tool will enable fabrication of those films,” said Selvamanickam.

Thin films are very thin layers of material that scientists can deposit or apply onto surfaces to achieve unique properties not seen in a bulk form of the material. They offer a wide range of benefits and are utilized in various industries, including electronics, energy, optics, sensing and others.

Although magnet quenches are fairly routine, in 2008 at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, a magnet quench caused damage to more than 50 superconducting magnets.

The PLD will also be used in other projects led by Selvamanickam and other faculty and underwritten by the U.S. Navy, including improving energy storage and propulsion systems, enhancing high-performance of solid-state, flexible batteries and reducing fuel consumption and surface corrosion of ships.

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

UCLA geologists are using artificial intelligence to predict landslides

2023-06-28

A new technique developed by UCLA geologists that uses artificial intelligence to better predict where and why landslides may occur could bolster efforts to protect lives and property in some of the world’s most disaster-prone areas. The new method, described in a paper published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, improves the accuracy and interpretability of AI-based machine-learning techniques, requires far less computing power and is more broadly applicable than traditional predictive models. The approach would be particularly valuable in places like California, the researchers say, where drought, ...

BMI cutoffs for total shoulder arthroplasty increase health disparities by preventing those in need from undergoing surgery

2023-06-28

In June, the American Medical Association announced a new policy that encourages physicians not to focus solely on body mass index, or BMI, as a determinant of weight and health. As a ratio of an individual’s weight and height, BMI can provide an easy and inexpensive but often misleading measure of someone’s overall health. While this new policy is not mandatory for physicians, it is part of a growing opinion that BMI is more useful for assessing population health rather than individual ...

Marine Corps Ph.D. graduate explores uncertainty in machine learning

2023-06-28

As battlespace sensors proliferate and data increases, commanders can easily find themselves in an information paradox: drowning in data, but starving for knowledge. U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Pedro Ortiz, who graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) on June 16 with a Ph.D. in Computer Science, focused his dissertation on this challenge to help enable rapid, effective decision-making for commanders in an era of ever-increasing sensor data and uncertainty. “I am very interested in applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to solve warfighter problems,” ...

New research from Portland State shows climate change will increase impacts of volcanic eruptions

2023-06-28

Volcanic disasters have been studied since Pompeii was buried in 79 A.D., leading the public to believe that scientists already know why, where, when and how long volcanoes will erupt. But Jonathan Fink, volcanologist and director of PSU’s Digital City Testbed Center, said these fundamental questions remain a mystery. Fink and Idowu "Jola" Ajibade, associate professor of Geography, recently published an article about how climate change will affect the societal impacts of eruptions. Their work is part of a novel 33-paper collection in the Bulletin of Volcanology, co-edited by Fink, which attempts to track how the entire field of volcanology has ...

World’s first glue derived from industrial bio-waste will make furniture recyclable

2023-06-28

An innovative new adhesive, derived from purified and refined industrial bio-waste, should enable 90 percent of engineered wood products, such as furniture and construction boards, to become fully recyclable and helping to develop a sustainable circular economy in this sector. Currently, formaldehyde adhesives used by manufacturers, are toxic petrochemicals that are carcinogenic in nature. This prevents recycling and incineration meaning most construction panels and furniture made from engineered wood ends up in landfill. The new adhesive, derived from extracted and purified waste is ...

McMaster University team discovers hormonal pathway that increases calorie burning during weight loss

2023-06-28

Hamilton, ON (June 28, 2023) - Researchers led by McMaster University professor Gregory Steinberg and postdoctoral research fellow Dongdong Wang have uncovered a key mechanism for promoting weight loss and maintaining the burning of calories during dieting. The research team studied a hormone called GDF15 that they had previously shown to reduce appetite in response to the type 2 diabetes drug metformin. Their latest findings, published in Nature on June 28, showed that GDF15 also has the potential to help with weight loss. The research opens new possibilities to help people maintain weight loss ...

Cuttlefish camouflage: more than meets the eye

2023-06-28

Cuttlefish, along with other cephalopods like octopus and squid, are masters of disguise, changing their skin color and texture to blend in with their underwater surroundings. Now, in a study published 28 June in Nature, researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research have shown that the way cuttlefish generate their camouflage pattern is much more complex than previously believed. Cuttlefish create their dazzling skin patterns by precisely controlling millions of tiny skin pigment cells, ...

Outcomes of financial penalties to encourage hospital price transparency

2023-06-28

About The Study: Hospital compliance with federal price transparency regulations is high and increasing. The results of this study suggest that financial penalties may be a useful policy enforcement mechanism in health care. These findings are relevant for the enforcement of other regulations designed to promote transparency in health care. Authors: Yunan Ji, Ph.D., of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link ...

Brain volume changes in aging individuals with normal cognition

2023-06-28

About The Study: In this study of adults without dementia, age-dependent brain structure volumes and volume change rates in various brain structures were characterized using serial magnetic resonance imaging scans. These findings clarified the normal distributions in the aging brain, which are essential for understanding the process of age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Authors: Shohei Fujita, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Tokyo, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.18153) Editor’s Note: Please ...

Long-range neuronal connections drive glioblastoma invasion

2023-06-28

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal form of brain tumor. Despite treatment, GBM recurrence is inevitable and tends to occur outside surgical margins or in locations remote to the primary tumor, highlighting the central role played by tumor infiltration in this malicious disease. Little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms driving GBM infiltration, but in a new study published in the journal Nature, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine working with animal models reveal a novel process by which neurons in locations remote to the primary tumor provoke expression of genes from gliomblastoma that subsequently ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

European hares are thriving in the city: New monitoring methods reveal high densities in Danish urban areas

Study: middle-aged Americans are lonelier than adults in other countries, age groups

World’s leading science competition identifies 19 breakthrough solutions around the globe with greatest potential to tackle the planetary crisis

Meta-analysis finds Transcendental Meditation reduces post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms across populations and cultures

AACR: Five MD Anderson researchers honored with 2025 Scientific Achievement Awards

How not to form a state: Research reveals how imbalanced social-ecological acceleration led to collapse in early medieval Europe

DDT residues persist in trout in some Canadian lakes 70 years after insecticide treatment, often at levels ten times that recommended as safe for the wildlife which consumes the fish