Definition

1. Noun:
   • A thermostat that operates at very low temperatures: A cryostat is a scientific device used to maintain a constant, extremely low temperature, typically for the purpose of cooling other instruments or samples.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The laboratory used a cryostat to keep the superconducting magnets at their required temperature.
  • For the experiment, the tissue sample was sectioned inside the cryostat.

Advanced Usage

• In a technical/scientific context: The term is almost exclusively used in scientific, medical, or engineering fields, particularly in physics (e.g., for superconductors), biology (e.g., for freezing and slicing tissue), and materials science.
  • The new cryostat design allows for more stable cooling with less vibration.

Variants and Related Words

• Cryogenic (adj): Relating to or involving the production or use of very low temperatures.
  • Cryogenic fluids are often used in cryostats.
• Cryogenics (n): The branch of physics dealing with the production and effects of very low temperatures.
• Microtome-cryostat (n): A specific type of cryostat used in pathology to freeze and thinly slice tissue for microscopic examination.

Synonyms

• Low-temperature thermostat: A descriptive synonym.
• Refrigerated chamber: A broader, less precise term that could describe the function of some cryostats.

Related Phrases/Compounds

• Cryostat sectioning: The process of cutting thin slices of frozen tissue using a cryostat.
  • Cryostat sectioning is essential for rapid diagnosis during surgery.
• Cryostat vessel: The inner chamber or dewar that holds the coolant and the sample.
  • The liquid helium is contained within the cryostat vessel.

Noun

1. a thermostat that operates at very low temperatures