This proposal covers the development of a helium temperature (4 Kelvin) cryocooler. This cryocooler can be used for continuous cooling of superconducting devices that require these temperatures. These include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) superconducting magnet systems and Superconducting Quantum Interference Detector (SQUID) based magnetoencephalography (MEG) systems. The cryocooler will have no moving parts in the cryogenic section, so the usual lifetime limiting elements are eliminated. The cryocooler will be designed for operation by technicians with no special training in cryogenic techniques. Therefore, the development will enable the widespread use of superconducting instruments in medical environments.
