Transition-edge sensor: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:55, 25 February 2011

Revision as of 04:59, 20 March 2011

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A '''transition edge sensor''' or '''TES''' is a type of [[bolometer|bolometric detector]] consisting of a [[superconductivity|superconducting material]], such as [[aluminum]] or [[titanium]], held on its [[Superconductor#Superconducting phase transition|superconducting transition]]. When biased on the superconducting transition, the device has a finite electrical resistance that is less than the resistance in the fully non-superconducting state. Energy coupled to the detector increases the temperature of the superconducting material, pushing it further into the non-superconducting state and thereby increasing its electrical resistance. This increase in resistance can be used to detect very small changes in temperature, and hence in energy. TES arrays are becoming increasingly common in physics and astronomy experiments such as the [[Atacama Cosmology Telescope]], [[the EBICEP2/Keck andArray BCMB Experimentpolarization experiment]], the [[Souththe PoleE Telescopeand B Experiment]], the [[HerschelSouth SpacePole ObservatoryTelescope]], and the [[Spider (polarimeter)|Spider polarimeter]].

==References==