MRI: Acquisition of a Versatile Cryogen-Free Dilution Refrigerator for Materials and Condensed Matter Physics Research

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Measurements of the physical properties of materials at ultralow temperatures are key to discoveries in condensed matter physics, the science of new and emerging materials, and future technologies, such as quantum computing and new detectors. The Major Research Instrumentation program supports the acquisition of a versatile dilution refrigerator system with an integrated magnetic field capability for an interdisciplinary, multi-user facility at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). The system will be housed in the Low Temperature Facility at UCSB, which already serves a diverse and interdisciplinary user community. It will be available to all members of the University community, to researchers at other academic institutions, and to industry throughout Southern California and beyond. The instrument will greatly expand the training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate researchers, who are the primary hands-on users. Both formal (course work) and practical training will be provided, while the facility's staff will be responsible for student training, safety, day-to-day oversight, and routine maintenance. In addition to its central role in the training of the next generation of scientists and engineers, the dilution refrigerator will be ideally suited for undergraduate design and research projects, and serve to expose undergraduate researchers to low temperature science and measurement techniques. The instrument addresses critical needs in materials characterization at ultra-low temperatures within a wide range of interdisciplinary research programs at UCSB that focus on low-dimensional materials, quantum computing, the realization and discovery of new quantum phenomena and phases, the development of new measurement techniques, and the characterization of the electronic structure of low-mobility materials. The Low Temperature Facility at UCSB already serves a diverse and interdisciplinary user community, who will have access to the dilution refrigerator system. The dilution system takes advantage of recent developments in technology that greatly facilitate its operation as a multiuser facility. These include recent advances in pulse-tube technology, allowing for cryogen-free and fully automated operation. The system is load-locked, which increases the number of samples that can be analyzed per instrument time. These features facilitate accessibility and ease of operation, dramatically reduce maintenance and operating costs, and allow for a high throughput of samples.