Using the large TRIUMF cyclotron in Vancouver, British Columbia, UCLA researchers have developed a new method to visualize topological insulators, a class of materials that could lead to improved performance in spintronics, at the nanoscale. The new method is the first use of beta-detected nuclear magnetic resonance to study the effect of the defects in topological insulators.

Scientists at Rice University combined titanium and gold to make an itinerant antiferromagnetic metal, TiAu, from nonmagnetic constituent elements. While the uses for this particular magnet have yet to be determined, this discovery could enhance the scientific understanding of magnetism.

On July 14, the LHCb experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider reported the discovery of a class of particles known as pentaquarks, which are composed of four quarks and an antiquark. The collaboration has submitted a paper reporting these findings to the journal Physical Review Letters.

On July 8, scientists announced that the US Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab, CSA CSM) set a world record for the most powerful high-energy particle beam for neutrino experiments: a sustained 521-kilowatt beam generated by the Main Injector particle accelerator. More than 1,000 physicists from around the world will use this high-intensity beam to more closely study neutrinos and fleeting particles called muons, both fundamental building blocks of our universe.

Cold Facts visited Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory recently to learn more about the lab's involvement in LCLS-II, a project that will provide a major upgrade to the functionality of the existing Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Laboratory. LCLS-II involves several scientific institutions, features cutting-edge physics and promises some very exciting results.

With the power of Proton Improvement Plan-II, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is planning to construct and operate the foremost facility in the world for particle physics utilizing intense beams.

Pumps and their efficiencies will increase the heat load of a closed loop cryogenic cooling system, so it is important that these pumps be as efficient as possible to minimize cost and supply use. Francesco Dioguardi, Martijn Donkers and Harrie Vermeulen of DH Industries provide pump design and operation tips to maximize efficiency, optimize flow and minimize heat heat in-leak.

Dr. Danko van der Laan, the 2014 Roger W. Boom awardee, discusses the development of high temperature superconductors (HTS) and their applications in high field magnets and advanced power transmission. He also explains an approach to cable ReBCO tapes called Conductor on Round Core (CORC™) cables, which feature layers of ReBCO tapes wound in helical fashion around a thin core and which are currently the most flexible HTS cable available on the market.

Nature reports that scientists in Germany have observed the common molecule hydrogen sulfide superconducting at a record-breaking 203K (-70°C) when subjected to very high pressures. Researchers A. P. Drozdov, M. I. Eremets, I. A. Troyan, V. Ksenofontov and S. I. Shylin report their findings in their paper "Conventional superconductivity at 203K at high pressures."

The Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP) has published the first issue of the new JSAP Bulletin, a tri-annual online publication designed to highlight JSAP's activities and inspire a global audience engaged in academic and industrial research.