Vibration generation in a pulse tube refrigerator

The cold head of a pulse tube refrigerator does not contain moving parts, therefore, is traditionally thought of as producing low vibration and having extended lifespan. Thus, such cryogenic engines are especially attractive for use in vibration-sensitive instrumentation, such as scanning electron microscopes, superconductive quantum interference devices, etc. However, even relatively low-level vibration of a pulse tube, resulting from oscillation of a gas pressure, may be excessive for the above vibration-sensitive OEM instrumentation. By making use of the finite element analysis and the full-scale experimentation, the authors identify the sources of a pulse tube vibration.