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Superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeters have great utility in X-ray applications owing to their high energy resolution, good collecting efficiency and the feasibility of being multiplexed into large arrays. In this work, we develop hard X-ray TESs to measure the absolute energies of muonic-argon (μ-Ar) transition lines around 44 keV and 20 keV. TESs with sidecar absorbers of different heat capacities were fabricated and characterized for their energy resolution and calibration uncertainty. We achieved ~ 1 eV absolute energy measurement accuracy at 44 keV, and < 12 eV energy resolution at 17.5 keV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition-edge sensors (TESs) as microcalorimeters for high-energy-resolution X-ray spectroscopy are often fabricated with an absorber made of materials with high Z (for X-ray stopping power) and low heat capacity (for high resolving power). Bismuth represents one of the most compelling options. TESs with evaporated bismuth absorbers have shown spectra with undesirable and unexplained low-energy tails. We have developed TESs with electroplated bismuth absorbers over a gold layer that are not afflicted by this problem and that retain the other positive aspects of this material. To better understand these phenomena, we have studied a series of TESs with gold, gold/ evaporated bismuth, and gold/electroplated bismuth absorbers, fabricated on the same die with identical thermal coupling. We show that the bismuth morphology is linked to the spectral response of X-ray TES microcalorimeters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nondestructive assay (NDA) of plutonium-bearing materials using gamma-ray spectroscopy supports global nuclear nonproliferation and safeguards efforts. High-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors have been used for this application for decades, but the uncertainty limit remains around 1% relative error for measured isotope ratios, an order of magnitude larger than destructive assay. To lower NDA uncertainty limits, we are pursuing new measurement technology using superconducting microcalorimeter detectors, and assessing the sources of current uncertainty limits. We compare results from analysis of plutonium isotopic standards using HPGe and microcalorimeter detectors, and find lower random error for the microcalorimeter data. Uncertainties in the reference values of constants of nature contribute to the total measurement error. For one particular set of constants, the gamma-ray energies, we find that microcalorimeter analysis is much less sensitive (more than a factor of ten) to the uncertainty in nuclear data than HPGe. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The fundamental mechanism of resistance in voltage-biased superconducting films is poorly understood despite its importance as the basis of transition-edge sensors (TESs). TESs are utilized in state-of-the-art microbolometers and microcalorimeters covering a wide range of energies and applications. We present a model for the resistance of a TES based on phase-slip lines (PSLs) and compare the model to data. One of the model's predictions, discrete changes in the number of PSLs, is a possible explanation for the observed switching between discrete current states in localized regions of bias [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microcalorimeter detectors rely on superconducting components and cryogenic temperatures to provide over an order-of-magnitude improvement in energy resolution compared to semiconducting sensors. Resolution improvements impact fields from gamma-ray astrophysics to nuclear safeguards. The temporal response of these detectors has been much slower than predicted from the known device parameters. This discrepancy has been attributed to the dynamics of quasiparticles and phonons in the bulk absorber used for absorbing photons. We will show that long-lived states in the glue used for absorber attachment have been the dominant cause of the slow response. Also, we have fabricated microcalorimeters using metal-to-metal diffusion bonding to attach the absorber. These detectors show a significant improvement in their recovery after gamma-ray events and will now enable study of the internal scattering dynamics of the bulk absorber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microcalorimeter detectors provide unprecedented energy resolution for gamma-ray spectroscopy. One application is measuring the isotopic composition of plutonium-bearing samples by non-destructive gamma-ray spectroscopy to support nuclear safeguards and nonproliferation efforts. When measured with conventional high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors, data from these samples contain significant peak overlaps requiring spectral deconvolution for analysis. The improved energy resolution of the microcalorimeter detector reduces peak overlaps leading to improvement in the statistical error component of the total measurement uncertainty. In this paper, we describe analysis code that was developed for spectral peak fitting and isotopic content determination from microcalorimeter and HPGe data. We apply the code to data collected from several plutonium standards to quantify the improvement of the statistical error derived from the improved energy resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We discuss sensor and method development for the analysis of alpha- and beta-decaying radioisotopes encapsulatedwithin superconducting transition-edge sensor microcalorimeter absorbers. For alpha-decaying isotopes, e.g., ^238\Pu, ^241\Am, and ^210\Po, this is a measurement of the total nuclearreaction energy (Q) and the spectra consist of sharp, narrow peaks. The primary peak is at the Q value, with secondarypeaks corresponding to gamma-ray-escape peaks. In contrast, for beta-decaying isotopes, e.g., ^241\Pu, the spectrum is a low-energy continuum ending at E\!=\!Q. We are developing transition-edge-sensor(TES) microcalorimeters to measure these spectra simultaneously in a single sample, hence allowing quantitative analysisof all Pu isotopes from 238 to 242. We have developed and used TES microcalorimeter detectors for this purpose, and itrepresents a new quantitative analysis tool for nuclear forensics and safeguards. Due to the high efficiency of theembedded source geometry, measurement times can be minimized. The high dynamic range of our sensors creates theopportunity to measure the relatively low energy beta-decay spectrum of ^241\Pu\ (Q = 20.78\ \keV) simultaneouslywith the Q $\sim$ 5–6 MeV of alpha-decaying actinides. Finally, thetechnique could also be effective for determining the time since chemical purification of Pu using the ^241\Pu/^241\Am isotopic ratio via simultaneousmeasurement of the low-energy ^241\Pu beta particles and the high-energy ^241\Am Q-value. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We have developed a new category of sensor for measurement of the 240Pu/239Pu mass ratio from aqueous solution samples with advantages over existing methods. Aqueous solution plutonium samples were evaporated and encapsulated inside of a gold foil absorber, and a superconducting transition-edge-sensor microcalorimeter detector was used to measure the total reaction energy (Q-value) of nuclear decays via heat generated when the energy is thermalized. Since all of the decay energy is contained in the absorber, we measure a single spectral peak for each isotope, resulting in a simple spectral analysis problem with minimal peak overlap. We found that mechanical kneading of the absorber dramatically improves spectral quality by reducing the size of radioactive inclusions within the absorber to scales below 50 nm such that decay products primarily interact with atoms of the host material. Due to the low noise performance of the micro calorimeter detector, energy resolution values of 1 keV fwhm (frill width at half-maximum) at 5.5 MeV have been achieved, an order of magnitude improvement over cr-spectroscopy with conventional silicon detectors. We measured the 240Pu/239Pu mass ratio of two samples and confirmed the results by comparison to mass spectrometry values. These results have implications for future measurements of trace samples of nuclear material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]