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Cryostat

Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Synonyms

Cryocooler; Dewar flask

Definition

A cryostat is an apparatus used to maintain very low (“cryogenic” <∼100 K) temperatures. It typically consists of two vessels, one mounted inside of the other. The inner vessel contains the cold sample (cryogen) mounted inside an evacuated outer vessel. The vessels are held together by a material with low thermal conductivity. The vacuum in the outer vessel serves as a thermal insulator. The two vessels are separated by a radiation shield to prevent heat transfer. The radiation shield is cooled by a cryocooler.

In medicine, a cryostat is a device to cut histological slides, consisting of a microtome (ultrathin slicer) in a freezer. In astrobiology, cryostats are used to generate low temperature conditions, for example, for simulating surfaces of icy moons or Titan or even the surface of Mars. Furthermore, studies of ices and chemistry taking place in ices require the use of a cryostat; examples of these are interstellar and cometary ices.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 4, 3584 CD, Utrecht, Netherlands

    Inge Loes ten Kate

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  1. Inge Loes ten Kate
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Correspondence to Inge Loes ten Kate .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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ten Kate, I. (2014). Cryostat. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_371-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_371-4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Cryostat
    Published:
    02 December 2021

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_371-5

  2. Original

    Cryostat
    Published:
    28 April 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_371-4

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