Abstract: A single stage, twin piston cryogenic refrigerator for cooling supercondung devices. The refrigerator uses helium as the heat transfer medium and is constructed with two nested, concentric pistons, an inner piston and an outer piston, mounted in a cylinder and driven 90.degree. out of phase by a common crankshaft. The inner piston extends through and below the outer piston and is received in a stationary insert mounted in the cylinder. The outer piston has a first piston face which forms a compression space with the stationary insert while the inner piston has a second piston face which forms an expansion space with the cylinder and the insert. The inner piston is formed with upper and lower piston halves joined by a flexible joint positioned in the compression space. Cylindrical regenerator gaps are present at the interface of the inner piston with the stationary insert and at the interface of the stationary insert with the cylinder.