On Wed, Oct 19, 2016 at 1:30 PM, Ken Peek <[email protected]> wrote:
> Where in the world do I *get* one of these things? How much does it cost? > > Ideas anyone? > Well, you asked for it. I might humbly suggest the responses are going to flow in two directions. One direction is like the old amateur scientist column in scientific american where heroic achievements are glorified for eternity even if they don't accomplish real economically valuable work. The other is something like professional railroad men trying to dissuade a home machinist from trying to build a full size replica of a Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 because its going to be quite complicated and expensive and large and even the professionals find it a bit difficult so go back to watching Oprah Show reruns on TV. In the spirit of I just want a hand held steam engine that spins a wheel and chuffs a bit, in my infinite spare time I've been thinking/working on replicating the work from this URL at home: http://labs.physics.berkeley.edu/mediawiki/index.php/Josephson_Junction I certainly have the RF gear. I have marginally adequate measurement gear. I have access to a machine shop (my own, although I have no niobium experience...). There's always a problem and for me its sourcing liq He and using it my lab without asphyxiating myself. I do not have the cryogenic lab gear (or experience) that I need to pull this off safely. So in typical home hobbyist style I have an infinite dependency chain where I'm sorta trying to get some liq N2 experience on another separate project so that someday I can cluefully use liq He. I have some professional training with energetic materials so I'm not worried about the safety and discipline aspects of cryonics, or rephrased I know what to be worried about and how to protect against stuff thats more fun than I can find/afford to buy. At some point in my life I will run that lab in my basement but I can't even predict a year much less a date. I think its a fun project because it marries so many unique experimental lab skills.. measurement electronics, precision machining, modest power microwave RF, exotic materials, cryonics... It really is, in many ways, the masterpiece of home science experiments. I'm honestly not sure that liq He is something that can be done at home. It may simply not be possible. So your desire for a home JJ is not unique although frankly I have so far to go with my cryonics learning and gear that I'm not far ahead of you! _______________________________________________ volt-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts and follow the instructions there.
