My dog and I: contributions from researchers
Three 500彩票网 researchers (in experimental physics, history and electrical engineering) write for the magazine on the theme of “a dog and a researcher,” sharing details about their own beloved dogs!
A dog and an experimental physicist
Tomiyoshi Haruyama
(Project Professor, )
Leak here, woof, woof
Sand is a five-year-old miniature dachshund weighing seven kilograms. He was my son’s dog, but following my son’s marriage and more children, there was no longer room for him at my son’s house, so he came to live with us three years ago. When Sand takes a nap in my lap on Sunday afternoons, I also feel sleepy.
In cryogenic experiments, if the cryogenic vessel has leaks, the experiment cannot be conducted, so a special device is used to carefully inspect the vessel leakage. The vessel inside is vacuum depressurized and helium gas is sprayed from outside of the vessel. If there is a leak, the helium gas is sucked in and the location of the leak can be detected. In the early days of cryogenic technology, it is said that cockroaches were used to search for leaks. When a female cockroach is placed inside the vessel, her pheromones leak out, attracting male cockroaches on the outside, and then the location of the leak can be determined.
Sand has a good nose, and so I have hit upon a good idea: using the dog to check for leaks. If I place dog food inside the vessel and seal it, Sand will react if the vessel has any holes or cracks. Instead of “Dig here, woof, woof,” he will bark “Leak here, woof, woof.” It is said that a dog’s sense of smell is more acute than a human’s by an order of magnitude of several tens of thousands. So, Sand might be able to find leaks with super high sensitivity. Maybe I can obtain a patent for this… And then Sand sneezes, awakening me from the dream. When Sand is sitting on my lap, I can happily daydream about such fanciful ideas.
