With the lab set up, our first big task was to get our cryostat Llorothaag (aka Lloro) ready to do science. She both holds Spider’s six telescope inserts, and allows the detectors to reach the extremely cold temperature they need to operate with high sensitivity. Lloro has layers nested within that get progressively colder: starting with the vacuum vessel at ambient temperature that allows the air to be removed inside like a vacuum flask; then two layers of vapour cooled shields (VCS) before reaching the main liquid helium tank and the smaller superfluid helium tank, and finally the closed cycle helium-3 adsorption fridges. To get ready to operate, these layers need to be disassembled, before the science instruments can be installed inside, and then all closed again.
We also had a trickle of new people arriving throughout the week. First Elle and Simon arrived, followed Johanna and Jared, then Bill, and finally Jason and Sho. We also lost Sherry, who left to start her new job and be reuinited with her puppy. Bye Sherry, we’ll miss you!
Awesome folks! Best of luck. 🙂
Keep these pictures coming. It’s a lot of fun to see all the work and progress from far away!
Too much nerd stuff. Need moar BBQ pics. And bull riding.