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Superconducting nanosensors with mesoscopic number of quasiparticles
- Source :
- Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures. 19:173-177
- Publication Year :
- 2003
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2003.
-
Abstract
- Novel approach to detection of low-energy (submillimeter and infrared) photons is based on implementation of the electron heating in superconducting nanostructures with small number of quasiparticles. In a hot-electron sensor, the incoming quanta generate nonequilibrium quasiparticles, which affect either the resistivity (transition-edge sensor) or the inductance (kinetic-inductance sensor operating in the superconducting state). The sensitivity of this sensor is limited by equilibrium fluctuations of the number of quasiparticle excitations, and a small number of quasiparticles is the key issue for high performance. The relaxation time in superconducting structures can be controlled over the range from 10 ps (outdiffusion of quasiparticles) to 0.1 s (phonon cooling). Therefore, hot-electron sensors can be employed as relatively slow ultra-sensitive detectors or fast photon counters, depending on a dominant cooling mechanism. The counter can resolve photons of submillimeter and terahertz ranges with the counting rate of 10 11 count/s . Hot-electron nanosensors are expected to deliver the unique performance: the noise equivalent power of 10 −20 W /√ Hz and the energy resolution of 10 −21 – 10 −23 J .
- Subjects :
- Physics
Superconductivity
Mesoscopic physics
Range (particle radiation)
Photon
Condensed matter physics
Phonon
Terahertz radiation
Condensed Matter Physics
Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
Condensed Matter::Superconductivity
Quasiparticle
Noise-equivalent power
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 13869477
- Volume :
- 19
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........8f4d6d9b48016a50650f34b24dac68d9