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Mo/Au x-ray microcalorimeters were fabricated as candidates for the high resolution spectrometers for the Constellation-X mission.

Localized high temperature superconducting quantum interference devices were used for reducing ambient magnetic fields. Results were quantified in terms of signal-to-noise ration for source fields and shielding factors for ambient noise. The approach has potential applications in the magnetocardiography and nondestructive testing of materials in a nondestructive environment.

The performance of high temperature image surface magnetometers is evaluated under the influence of electromagnetic shielding, background noise and biomagnetic current sources. The finite difference method is used to simulate the impact of these parameters on the operating characteristics of the magnetometers. Results suggest that the use of superconducting shields reduces the ambient noise field by about four orders of magnitude without disturbing the cardiomagnetic signals.

A pulsed transient thermography method is described where a high-intensity light pulse is used to heat a long, uniform stripe on the surface of a plate. A high spatial resolution, high frame rate focal plane array infrared camera is used to monitor surface temperature. We explain the theoretical model and data analysis framework used to experimentally determine all three thermal diffusivity components from the temperature measurements. The analysis does not require any fitting to the temperature profile and is based on the creation of thermal time-of-flight (tof) images from the temperature data and the relationship between tof and the distance from the stripe edge. The in-plane components of thermal diffusivity are obtained without the need for thickness information. Experimental validation of this procedure was carried out using anisotropic carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]