UKRI-4747 Cryogen-Free Bottom-Loading Dilution Refrigerator System

This procurement forms the basis for part of a research programme being undertaken at PPD and funded through a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, a prestigious funding opportunity designed to support exceptional researchers and innovators in the UK. Dedicated funds were awarded as part of this grant specifically for this procurement, since there is currently no such system within PPD for this research to take place.

The system delivered through this procurement will be used for dedicated photosensor R&D at ultra-low temperatures (~20 mK) for the QUEST-DMC dark matter experiment, one of many experiments that STFC PPD is involved in.

The system will be housed inside a larger, cryogenic laboratory (“cryolab”) currently being established within PPD. The cryolab will provide a dedicated cryogenic facility within PPD for liquid noble R&D in the context of low background rare-event searches, and is applicable to several different experiments that PPD is presently involved with. The cryolab is in the process of being refurbished to specifically satisfy the requirements for this system, therefore there should be no service conditions or environmental factors that should impact the operation or performance of this system.