One day for graduate students

It’s one day I’m experimenting with a graduate student.

[9:30] Wake up. Take a light breakfast (rice ball or bread) and head to university.

[10:00] Arrival at university. Put your luggage on your desk in the laboratory and check the mail for the time being. Take a break and start experimenting. Today, we plan to measure “temperature dependence of AC magnetic susceptibility under various AC magnetic fields” at low temperature. The sample was attached to the 3He refrigerator (Heliox) the day before. Immediately, insert Heliox into the vessel containing liquid 4He and let it cool.

[11:00] Heliox was inserted into the vessel. It takes about 3 hours for Heliox to cool from room temperature. Wait a while for Heliox to cool down.

[13:00] A member of the laboratory, having lunch at the northern cafeteria.

[14:00] The measuring device is cooled to a low temperature, and the sample is well cooled (up to 2 K). At this temperature, condensation work is performed for about 30 minutes to cool the sample to a lower temperature (up to 0.3 K). Record the measurement conditions such as the amplitude, frequency, and phase of the alternating current to create an alternating magnetic field during condensation in a notebook.

[15:00] The measurement finally started. Run a temperature changing program (2 K → 0.3 K) to perform automatic measurement. The superconducting transition began to be visible when the temperature reached the transition temperature of the sample. Expectations increase as to what kind of results will be obtained.

[16 o’clock] Check out whether there is something wrong with the measurement, or observe other people’s experiments and spend a leisurely time.

[17:00] The first measurement is completed today. Clean superconducting transition data were obtained. Next, the same measurement is performed by changing the magnitude of the applied magnetic field. Perform condensation work to cool again.

[18:00] After the condensation is completed, automatic measurement starts again. Waiting until the end of the measurement, expecting the result “How will the data change when the magnetic field is changed?” Gnuplot analyzes the data just taken in the meantime.

[19:00] The measurement is proceeding smoothly. It will take another hour to finish the measurement, so I will have dinner with the members of the laboratory at the northern cafeteria.

[20:00] After the meal, the measurement has just ended. This time I got clean data. Condensate again for the next measurement. In the meantime, analyze the data again. We obtained the result that the behavior of AC susceptibility was changed by the difference of magnetic field.

[21:00] 3rd measurement start today. Furthermore, the magnitude of the applied magnetic field was changed to measure the AC magnetic susceptibility. Read your research papers between measurements. How can we physically interpret the superconductivity of the sample we are measuring … Read the papers that might be relevant to your research and look for hints of their superconductivity.

[22:00] The article I read this time did not seem to be a direct hint. Search the Internet for a new reference article by doing a keyword search. And I found some papers that could be helpful! I will read the paper I found again during the measurement tomorrow.

[23:00] The third measurement is finished today. The data gradually gathered. The magnetic field dependence of superconductivity in this sample becomes clear. Time is getting late. I will run the last measurement program today and return. Make the final condensation today.

[24:00] The date has also changed. At the end of condensation, change the applied magnetic field again and start measurement. We look forward to the measurement results and return home.

[25:00] After coming home, relax a little and go to bed.

That’s one day of experimenting.

It is one day when I am experimenting with a graduate student (doctor).

I got up at about 10 o’clock (in my laboratory bed). Check the computer that controls the experimental equipment. It’s worth improving the program, and I’m getting data while I’m sleeping.

At 10:30, there is a shower room in the physics classroom, so it is very helpful.

Breakfast around 11 o’clock. It’s a pain to go outside, so I’ll sip a spare cup ramen (today’s Okinawa soba). In the meantime, check email and news. Send an email to overseas laboratories about experimental results.

Around 13:00, we had lunch at the lab @ Northern Co-op. Recently, pineapple (100 yen) is my boom for dessert.

Once the data has been or launch to graph the sleepy sounding a little nap.

At the time of xx, a junior wakes him up as “Mr. It seems that the experimental device does not work well. I looked at various things with my sleepy head, and it seems to be a common communication error, so I solved it with a special restart (?).

Download the paper to prepare for the Colloquium presentation. Now that I have the Internet, it’s easy, but I’m wondering how I was 20 years ago when I was searching for and obtaining articles.

Around 19:00, dinner @ Northern Co-op. Let’s stir-fry today.

Since the measurement program was stopped, liquid helium is put into the superconducting magnet (transfer). While transferring, proofreading junior papers. Sprinkle the red pen.

Run the measurement program. I’ll have them take measurements until tomorrow morning.

Preparation for colloquium announcement again . However, I don’t feel like it because I still have a day (one week). After all, there is no choice but to call the last spurt from about 3 days ago. .. In the past, it used to be warmed up about two weeks ago.

About 25:00, I get a little motivated (night type). I thought that it was an illusion that there was a date, and started making PowerPoint files.

I get sleepy around 27:00. sleep. It really feels good to fall into a lab bed when I can’t stand being sleepy. So, good night.

That’s one day of experimenting. (Some fiction. I don’t always sleep in college. Maybe.)

A graduate student’s experimental life.

[7:30] Wake up. Go running early in the morning. It’s getting cold these days so I feel better running in the morning rather than at night.

[9:30] Take a break at home and go to university. After confirming the measurement status in the laboratory, check the email in the room.

[10:00] Check the papers posted today on the preprint server.

[11:00] Continue measurement while changing the conditions at an appropriate timing.

[13:00] Have lunch at the northern cafeteria with members of the laboratory.

[14:00] While analyzing the data taken for the time between measurements, consider what data will be taken next.

[16 o’clock] Thinking about the draft of the paper, not looking at it, while looking at all the collected data.

[18:00] While wandering around in the room, discuss (chat) with someone who seems to be free.

[19:00] Have dinner with the members of the laboratory at the northern cafeteria.

[21:00] I get tired of heading to my desk.

[23 pm] I went home after seeing the junior’s experimental data and making a small decision.

[24:00] After resting a little on Kotatsu, go to sleep. It’s getting cold recently. Be careful not to catch a cold.

That was one day when I was doing the experiment.

It’s a day of experimenting with a graduate student (doctoral student). One day in February 2018.

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Wake up around 8 o’clock. I can’t get up early in the morning these days. When I went to university after having breakfast, it seems that the professor and assistant professor are already in the laboratory. The dilution refrigerator I handle in the underground laboratory is stable at 1.6 K at “high temperature”. A few weeks ago I replaced and repaired a part of the pipe of this dilution refrigerator in the laboratory, and fortunately it has been normal since then. However, the measured data from last night is noisy and it is judged that further integration is necessary, and it is left as it is.

Around 8:55, liquid helium starts to be transferred to Dewar (cooling the dilution refrigerator itself with a low-temperature device). Since this dewar needs a transfer every 2.5 days using this dilution refrigerator, will it be done at night next time? In the meantime, pour liquid nitrogen into the “nitrogen trap” of the dilution refrigerator and the “nitrogen preamplifier” of the measurement circuit system. The helium transfer ends at around 9:25. Since I greedily added a lot, I consume about 42 L. Around 9:50, a vessel with a small amount of helium (transport container) is brought into the liquefaction building.

Return to my room around 10 o’clock. Several graduate and undergraduate students are present. Recently, many members have come during this time, and I am impressed. Take a seat and check your email. Today I decided to write an outline of the international conference a few months later. The deadline is next weekend, but it’s better to submit these things early.

Around 11:20, the outline will take shape. I wanted to have my teacher proofread, but he was busy and absent. Therefore, I decided to write the deadline for research expenses in the middle of April.

Around 12:30, I stopped preparing documents and went to see the experiment. The device is stable, but the data is still noisy and unclear. When I returned to my room, the assistant professor told me that one of the “recent questions” was “the validity of the measurement of the nuclear magnetic relaxation rate when the measurement repetition time is short”, which was a master’s course student. This is a calculation problem, so let’s consider it at once.

Around 13:30, I can finally solve the problem. The problem was reduced to a simple linear equation, but it took an hour by that time. Since I was not in charge of the seminar presentation when I proceeded to the doctoral course, I wonder if my computing ability had declined. Take care again and tell the teacher the calculation results and consideration. Even when the “repetition time is short”, the measurement results do not seem to change as much as I had thought vaguely. I would like to confirm this result experimentally.

Around 14:00, we will have lunch later than usual. The dining room is vacant and comfortable during this time. Return to your room and continue the document preparation. What should be written in “Research implementation status”?

Around 15:30, we took a short break. Recently, at this time, I start to get tired and work efficiency drops. It may be a little lacking exercise. After that, I receive questions about research from the undergraduate students intermittently.

Around 18 o’clock, the measurement error did not improve, and I abandoned the measurement at this temperature. One day’s machine time is wasted. I realize again the difficulty of the experiment of the dilution refrigerator. Start circulation of the dilution refrigerator for the next day’s measurement and aim for the lowest temperature (about 0.1 K?). If you are feeling well, it should cool well overnight.

Around 18:30, the busy professor’s teacher returned. Please proofread the outline of the international conference.

Around 19:00, I was tired, so when I tried to go home, the assistant professor came back to my room and started a discussion about “enhancing our website.” We came to the conclusion that we should increase articles such as “research contents”. I will be in charge of one article in “1 day, 1 week, 1 year in the laboratory”, leading to the writing of this article.

Around 19:30, I went home. The proofreading result of the outline was returned as early as just before, but I will fix it tomorrow. Many members still remain in the room.

After returning home, take self-catering dinner, take a bath, and go to bed around 23:00.

Meeting life of a graduate student.

[11:30] Come to university and have lunch. Today, there is a meeting from 16:00 to discuss the experimental situation and future plans with the professor. I made an effort to get up early to make the material.

[12:00] When I returned from the meal, my assistant professor asked me, “Is the meeting today at 18:00?” When I open the email, it seems that there are visitors from 16:30. “I’ll start from 6pm,” he returns. Now I have 2 hours to spare so I’m ready to relax. When I opened the email, I was surprised and shouted, “There are 6 unread messages!”, Mr. ○ muttered, “Is 6 messages, students are good?”. How many emails does Mr. O handle every day?

[Around 14:00? ] We have to summarize the results of international students and joint research for a meeting, but it is not so interesting to summarize the experimental results that we have not done because it feels like a mere task. I listen to junior job hunting and enjoy e-learning about research misconduct. Then, Mr. A urges me to write a day in the laboratory. It seems that Mr. B’s 1st day was completed the next day after requesting writing.

[After 16:00] A junior who had a meeting with the professor since noon returned. Is it time for the visitors to come? However, he received a surprise report from his juniors.
Junior “C’s, meeting from 18 o’clock it seems has become from now”
I “No, no, probably useless to fast but is Ya welcome to late!”
“(The professor) Please come to say directly,” junior
○ Mr. “I originally did it at 16:00. It seems that the customers will be late.”
I “ I haven’t made the materials …”
I think the style of raising once and then dropping is really terrible. Well, this time, the main purpose is to formulate the experimental plan for the next fiscal year, so the experimental results can be summarized.

[16:30] Start the meeting by printing the materials you have created. Up until now, I had been experimenting with foreign seniors, so the meeting was in English, but since that senior is graduating, it seems to be good in Japanese from today. It’s wonderful to say what you want to say.

[18:00] The customer complained that it would be late, so the meeting was forced to end. One and a half hours was a short meeting. However, the schedule for the next fiscal year didn’t quite fit together.

[19:00] What if I had a farewell party for Mr. A and his juniors graduating this year while eating ice cream? It seems that all the desks in the living room will be new. I don’t care about the desks. I talk about various things like wanting a kotatsu. Ice is delicious to eat in winter. If you have a kotatsu, it will be more delicious. It is convenient because office glyco is installed in the living room.

[20:00] It’s night, so I’ll have dinner and go home. I feel unusual to go home before the date changes, but today I came in the early morning, so it should be forgiven. It was the day I wanted to experiment. Tomorrow will be a paper meeting.