Vacuumnews

arranged for the third week of October 1965, at the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex. For full details when available, and for other enquiries, application should be made to: Mr J R Balmer Royal Radar Establishment Malvern, Worcs.

Varian Seminar and Fellowship

Varian Third Annual Vacuum Seminar The Vacuum Products Division of Varian Associates held its third annual Vacuum Technology Seminar, 19-21 April, in con- ference facilities at Rickey's Hyatt House in Palo Alto. The seminar sessions are non-commercial in orientation, and are aimed toward the increasing number of engineers and scientists who use vacuum as a working tool in research, production and testing.

Vacuum techniques and equipment were explained and demon- strated, and a variety of lectures as well as small group sessions were held. The guest lecturer was Mr P A Redhead, widely recog- nized authority on vacuum and vacuum measurement. Mr Redhead is presently Senior Research Officer of the National Research Council of Canada.

Varian 1966 Fellowship Physicists and chemists who have recently taken a Ph D are now being invited by Varian AG to make application for their 1966 Fellowship. The successful candidate will spend 12 months in the Varian Research Laboratories at Zurich, starting in the coming Autumn. The Fellow may continue work in the field of his thesis, or he can widen his studies by working with one of the Varian staff on a new line. Problems involving the aid of magnetic or electron resonance are of special interest, as are those concerning solid state physics with nuclear resonance. The work will be carried out in open academic atmosphere, collaboration with local institutions will be welcomed, and subsequent publication of findings is en- couraged.

The Fellowship carries an award of $6000 (approx £2,100), will include a three weeks vacation, and expenses incurred in attending one or two meetings during the year will be met. Accommodation is not provided, but every assistance will be given in finding com- fortable quarters.

The successful candidate will qualify for the various employee benefits promoted by Varian, and will be required to sign an agree- ment concerning Patents, the conditions of which will be discussed personally with the applicant.

If from Europe, Africa, or the Middle East, assistance will be given in respect of travelling expenses for both the successful candidate and his family. If trans-Atlantic travel is involved, return tourist-class air fare will be paid for the candidate only.

Applications must include a short biography, a list of reprints of publications, and a letter of recommendation from the candi- date's Principal, and should be sent to Dr W G Proctor, Varian AG, Klansstrasse 43, Zurich 8. Further information prior to making application can be obtained from Varian Associates Ltd, Russell House, Molesey Road, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, UK.

Vacuum courses Vacuum technology course A four-day course on Vacuum Technology was held on 27-30 April 1965 at the Welsh College of Advanced Technology, in the Department of Applied Physics (Head of Department Dr J R Bristow, F Inst P). The Organizing Lecturer was Dr S D Probert.

The course was intended for technicians concerned with the setting up, operation and maintenance of vacuum equipment in research and teaching laboratories, and also for research workers concerned with the practical problems of vacuum systems.

The subjects of the lectures included the following: Fundamen- tals of Vacuum Physics; Mechanical and Rotary Pumps; One and Two Stage Pumps; Vapour Pumps; Stripping Down a Diffusion Pump; Pumping Fluids; Design of Vacuum Systems; Gas Flow,

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Pumping Speed, Valves, Other instrumentation; Typical Experi- mental Rig (Discussion); Materials used in Vacuum Systems; Vacuum Measurement; Joints (metal/metal, metal/glass seals etc, Demonstration); Leak Detection; Vacuum Metallurgy; Industrial Applications; Freeze Drying; Certain Aspects of Space Technology; Cryopumping; Ultra-High Vacuum.

Films on vacuum technology were included in the course. Prac- tical and question periods, a discussion on research problems, and a tour of laboratories were arranged.

The course staff were: K C Barraclough, B Sc, F R I C, A Met, F I M (Firth Brown Ltd); R J Ingram, B Pharm F P S (The Welsh School of Pharmacy); S H Morris (Edwards High Vacuum Ltd); S D Probert, M A, D Phil, A F I M A (Welsh College of Advanced Technology); R D Walker, A R C S T, L I M (University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire); D Warman (Welsh College of Advanced Technology).

Further details of this and other short courses run by the Welsh College of Advanced Technology may be obtained from: D R Hub, B Sc, A Inst P, A R I C, A M I E E, Welsh College of Advanced Technology, Cathay's Park, Cardiff.

Vacuum studies in Wales A heat transfer laboratory will be established when the Department of Engineering at University College, Swansea moves into the new Applied Sciences building during the 1965-66 academic session. As part of the trend to cater for less traditional aspects of engineer- ing, Dr Douglas Probert will be responsible for the development of vacuum, cryogenic and thermal insulation experiments within this laboratory. He was formerly in the Department of Applied Physics at the Welsh CAT, Cardiff, before which he studied cryogenic engineering at Oxford and aeronautical engineering at Cambridge. His research interests at Swansea will continue to be in the develop- ment of mechanically strong thermal insulators. Dr Probert intends to organize a vacuum technology symposium and exhi- bition in the Department of Engineering, University College, Swansea during the latter half of September 1966, and those intending to exhibit and/or to present review and research papers, etc, are invited to write to: Dr S D Probert, University College, Department of Engineering, Swansea, South Wales.

Mass spectrometry and allied topics

Twelfth annual conference The twelfth annual conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics was held between 7 and 12 June 1964 at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Acknowledgement is made to Mr A Bruce King, Gulf Research and Development Company, Pittsburgh 30, Pa, for his help in obtaining the following outlines of papers presented at the conference which are of interest to Vacuum readers.

Ultra-high vacuum mass spectrometer measurements on argon isotopes

The decay of g 4° to A 4° provides a means of estimating the age of geological formations. The measurements of the minute quan- tities of A 4° generated calls for ultra-high vacuum techniques and static operation of the mass spectrometer. A simple, residual back- ground analyser, the MS10 supplied by AEI, has been adapted for such use and has proved to be successful. The instrument employs 180 ° deflection with a 2 inch radius of curvature and electrostatic scanning.

Before analysis the pressure in the tube is in the 10 -1° tort range and the background at mass 36 is zero. Isolation of the tube from the pumping system causes no contribution at this mass number which is the critical one in analyses of this nature. The volume of A 4° is measured by isotopic dilution with highly enriched A ss tracer. In this way precise measurements of the amounts of A ~° may be made on samples with volumes < 10 -6 ce ntp. Derek York, E Farrar and R M MacIntyre, Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto 5, Canada.

Sources of fluctuations in the mass spectroscopic analysis of solids by vacuum spark techniques

1. Sensitivity fluctuations of customary mass spectrographic emulsions limit the precision of analyses to a few per cent.