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Progress in cryogenics, vol. 1
BOOK REVIEWS PROGRESS IN CRYOGENICS, Vol. 1, edited by K. Mendelssohn, 259 pages, plates, diagrams, 6 X 9¼ in. New York, Academic Press, Inc., 1959. Price, $11.00. In the preface to this first volume, Dr. Mendelssohn describes the objective of the new series as the provision of "summarizing articles on the whole field of low temperature methods, as distinguished from low-temperature physics and chemistry." Since the rapid increase in the utilization of low temperature phenomena appears to have outstripped the literature on the subject, this new series should have particular value in providing authoritative information on current activity in a wide variety of subjects. In view of the broad objectives of the series, and the international distribution of the authors, it is not surprising to find some variation in the form of contributions. Several of the articles are relatively brief while others take the form of fairly extensive reviews, particularly of topics in which there has been much activity within recent years. In "Superconducting Circuits," Dr. D. R. Young provides a very brief description of the phenomena of superconductivity and a more lengthy discussion of the various circuit elements which involve superconductivity in their operation. A fairly detailed analysis of several basic circuits is followed by a largely qualitative discussion of superconducting systems, with principal emphasis on those applicable to computers. The author concludes with some remarks on the direction in which future development must proceed if the feasibility of high capacity computers, using superconducting circuit elements, is to be demonstrated. "Thermoelectric Cooling" by Dr. D. A. Wright is a comprehensive review of the subject. Approximately half of the chapter is devoted to the thermodynamics and theory of semiconductors, basic to the subject. This is followed by a detailed discussion of the properties of relevant materials, with particular emphasis on bismuth telluride. In the final
section Dr. Wright analyzes the performance of multiple refrigeration units arranged in cascade, makes a comparison with the demonstrated performance of the compressor type of refrigerator and concludes with a brief description of various devices using thermoelectric cooling. A short historical summary precedes the review of present information in the chapter "Evacuated Powder Insulation for Low Temperatures" by M. M. Fulk. Considerable progress has been made in the development of techniques of thermal insulation which are of particular interest to the engineer concerned with the storage and transportation of large quantities of liquid refrigerants. In this connection, the compilation of the measured thermal conductivities of many different insulating materials is particularly valuable. A significant portion of "Distillation at Lmv Temperatures" by B. R. Brown is devoted to a critical review of the progress which has been made towards understanding the detailed processes involved in the fractional distillation of liquid mixtures. In the description of particular systems, emphasis is laid on the distiUation of liquid air and of liquid hydrogen, although mention is also made of the separation of boron, carbon and helium isotopes. In conclusion, the author discusses areas in which further fundamental investigation must be performed if the efficiency of distillation processes is to be ilnproved. In "The Measurement of Mechanical Properties of Metals at Low Temperatures" Dr. I I. M. Rosenberg describes in some detail the experimental techniques which have been used to investigate the low temperature behax ior of the elastic moduli, creep, fatigue and internal friction of metals. Discussion of the experiluental results is brief but is adequate to justify the author's contention that this branch of low temperature physics can aid considerably in the study of metals. Dr. G. H. Minkoff presents an extensive review in the chapter "Frozen Free Radicals." There is a brief historical introduction followed by a review of experimental methods. 63
64
B o o k REVIEWS
The information obtained from infra-red, optical, ultra-violet and paramagnetic resonance absorption investigations of trapped free radicals is discussed in detail and the broad scope of the results which may be obtained from this area of research is emphasized. An extensive list of references is provided. The two chapters, "Low Temperature Calorimetry" by Dr. R. W. Hill and " T h e Determination of Specific Heats by the Temperature-Wave M e t h o d " by N. V. Zavaritsky, are complementary and, at the same time, provide an interesting comparison. The former chapter consists of an extensive review of the techniques of calorimetry and t h e r m o m e t r y at sub-amblent temperatures, particular attention being paid to the range of temperatures below 4 K. Below 1 K, however, the conventional method of specific heat determination involving the measurement of a temperature change produced b y addition of a known a m o u n t of energy to the sample, runs into increasing experimental difficulties. It is in this range t h a t the temperature-wave technique becomes valuable. Originally proposed by Angstrom, the method has only been used in low temperature research within recent years. With further refinement of the experimental techniques, which are described in considerable detail in the second chapter, it is reasonable to expect an increasing use of this elegant method in the temperature range below 1 K. "Ultrasonic Attenuation in Metals at Low Temperatures" by Professor R. W. Morse is valuable as a review of the contributions made to the knowledge of electron-phonon interactions in metals by ultrasonic attenuation experiments. Results obtained both in normal and in superconducting metals are discussed, with, in the latter case, particular attention being given to a comparison of the experimental observations with the predictions of the Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer theory. Dr. Mendelssohn and his contributors have maintained a high standard of presentation throughout and have produced a volume which will be useful to the specialist in low temperature physics and chemistry, to the engineer and to the advanced student making his first acquaintance with the rapidly expanding field of cryogenics. JAMES NICOL Arthur D. Little, Inc.
[J. V. I.
HYPERSTATIC STRUCTURES,by J. A. L. Matheson. 474 pages, diagrams, 6 X 92 in. New York, Academic Press, Inc., 1959. Price, $15.50. In a day when most textbooks are written mainly to satisfy administration demands for publication, it is natural t h a t few show the careful preparation and genuine coacern for the student required for success. Therefore when a book does come along which appears to have been motivated primarily by a real desire to teach something, it deserves to be noticed. A textbook, after all, is supposed to help a student learn a subject he does not already know. To do this successfully it must be informed by all those same principles which make for good classroom teaching: organization which allows the subject to develop in a logical and natural fashion ; emphasis on unity of ideas instead of diversity ; and an unflagging effort toward clarity. On all these counts, Hyperstatic Structures is a distinctly superior text. Although only one has appeared, there are to be two volumes in the set. All those elaborate and detailed problems with which the engineering teacher simulates practice are relegated to volume two. The present volume is entirely devoted to the exposition of basic ideas and theory. The happy result is t h a t it can be read through from first to last without losing the thread of the argument or bogging down in pages of calculations. This is not to say there are no sample problems: nearly every page contains some simple sketch, illustration or example which serves to reinforce the remarks in the text, but which does not halt or confuse the reader. One can simply glance at them, get the point immediately, and pass on. The book is not a novel, of course, but devices such as these, coupled with an easy and lucid style, contribute to readability and clarity far above the average. Another strong point is the emphasis placed on the underlying unity of apparently different techniques of analysis. One of the common failings of texts and courses in indeterminate structures is the impression often given the student t h a t the many analytical routines are all in fact quite different " m e t h o d s " with fully independent status. Beginning in the preface, where a "family-tree" diagram appears, the author goes to great lengths to
section Dr. Wright analyzes the performance of multiple refrigeration units arranged in cascade, makes a comparison with the demonstrated performance of the compressor type of refrigerator and concludes with a brief description of various devices using thermoelectric cooling. A short historical summary precedes the review of present information in the chapter "Evacuated Powder Insulation for Low Temperatures" by M. M. Fulk. Considerable progress has been made in the development of techniques of thermal insulation which are of particular interest to the engineer concerned with the storage and transportation of large quantities of liquid refrigerants. In this connection, the compilation of the measured thermal conductivities of many different insulating materials is particularly valuable. A significant portion of "Distillation at Lmv Temperatures" by B. R. Brown is devoted to a critical review of the progress which has been made towards understanding the detailed processes involved in the fractional distillation of liquid mixtures. In the description of particular systems, emphasis is laid on the distiUation of liquid air and of liquid hydrogen, although mention is also made of the separation of boron, carbon and helium isotopes. In conclusion, the author discusses areas in which further fundamental investigation must be performed if the efficiency of distillation processes is to be ilnproved. In "The Measurement of Mechanical Properties of Metals at Low Temperatures" Dr. I I. M. Rosenberg describes in some detail the experimental techniques which have been used to investigate the low temperature behax ior of the elastic moduli, creep, fatigue and internal friction of metals. Discussion of the experiluental results is brief but is adequate to justify the author's contention that this branch of low temperature physics can aid considerably in the study of metals. Dr. G. H. Minkoff presents an extensive review in the chapter "Frozen Free Radicals." There is a brief historical introduction followed by a review of experimental methods. 63
64
B o o k REVIEWS
The information obtained from infra-red, optical, ultra-violet and paramagnetic resonance absorption investigations of trapped free radicals is discussed in detail and the broad scope of the results which may be obtained from this area of research is emphasized. An extensive list of references is provided. The two chapters, "Low Temperature Calorimetry" by Dr. R. W. Hill and " T h e Determination of Specific Heats by the Temperature-Wave M e t h o d " by N. V. Zavaritsky, are complementary and, at the same time, provide an interesting comparison. The former chapter consists of an extensive review of the techniques of calorimetry and t h e r m o m e t r y at sub-amblent temperatures, particular attention being paid to the range of temperatures below 4 K. Below 1 K, however, the conventional method of specific heat determination involving the measurement of a temperature change produced b y addition of a known a m o u n t of energy to the sample, runs into increasing experimental difficulties. It is in this range t h a t the temperature-wave technique becomes valuable. Originally proposed by Angstrom, the method has only been used in low temperature research within recent years. With further refinement of the experimental techniques, which are described in considerable detail in the second chapter, it is reasonable to expect an increasing use of this elegant method in the temperature range below 1 K. "Ultrasonic Attenuation in Metals at Low Temperatures" by Professor R. W. Morse is valuable as a review of the contributions made to the knowledge of electron-phonon interactions in metals by ultrasonic attenuation experiments. Results obtained both in normal and in superconducting metals are discussed, with, in the latter case, particular attention being given to a comparison of the experimental observations with the predictions of the Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer theory. Dr. Mendelssohn and his contributors have maintained a high standard of presentation throughout and have produced a volume which will be useful to the specialist in low temperature physics and chemistry, to the engineer and to the advanced student making his first acquaintance with the rapidly expanding field of cryogenics. JAMES NICOL Arthur D. Little, Inc.
[J. V. I.
HYPERSTATIC STRUCTURES,by J. A. L. Matheson. 474 pages, diagrams, 6 X 92 in. New York, Academic Press, Inc., 1959. Price, $15.50. In a day when most textbooks are written mainly to satisfy administration demands for publication, it is natural t h a t few show the careful preparation and genuine coacern for the student required for success. Therefore when a book does come along which appears to have been motivated primarily by a real desire to teach something, it deserves to be noticed. A textbook, after all, is supposed to help a student learn a subject he does not already know. To do this successfully it must be informed by all those same principles which make for good classroom teaching: organization which allows the subject to develop in a logical and natural fashion ; emphasis on unity of ideas instead of diversity ; and an unflagging effort toward clarity. On all these counts, Hyperstatic Structures is a distinctly superior text. Although only one has appeared, there are to be two volumes in the set. All those elaborate and detailed problems with which the engineering teacher simulates practice are relegated to volume two. The present volume is entirely devoted to the exposition of basic ideas and theory. The happy result is t h a t it can be read through from first to last without losing the thread of the argument or bogging down in pages of calculations. This is not to say there are no sample problems: nearly every page contains some simple sketch, illustration or example which serves to reinforce the remarks in the text, but which does not halt or confuse the reader. One can simply glance at them, get the point immediately, and pass on. The book is not a novel, of course, but devices such as these, coupled with an easy and lucid style, contribute to readability and clarity far above the average. Another strong point is the emphasis placed on the underlying unity of apparently different techniques of analysis. One of the common failings of texts and courses in indeterminate structures is the impression often given the student t h a t the many analytical routines are all in fact quite different " m e t h o d s " with fully independent status. Beginning in the preface, where a "family-tree" diagram appears, the author goes to great lengths to