Characterization and Reduction of Unexplained Noise in Superconducting Transition-Edge Sensors

Published

May 7, 2004

Author(s)

Joel N. Ullom, William B. Doriese, Gene C. Hilton, James A. Beall, Steven Deiker, William Duncan, S. L. Ferreira, Kent D. Irwin, Carl D. Reintsema, Leila R. Vale

Abstract

The noise in superconducting Transition-Edge Sensors (TESs) commonly exceeds simple theoretical predictions. The reason for this discrepancy is presently unexplained. We have measured the amplitude and frequency dependence of the noise in TES sensors with eight different geometries. In addition, we have measured the dependence of the noise on operating resistance, perpendicular magnetic field, and bath temperature. We find that the unexplained noise contribution is inversely correlated with the temperature width of the superconducting-to-normal transition and is reduced by a perpendicular field and in certain geometries. These results suggest paths to improved sensor performance.

Citation

Applied Physics Letters

Volume

84

Issue

21

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

microcalorimeter, transition-edge sensor, unexplained noise

Citation

Ullom, J. , Doriese, W. , Hilton, G. , Beall, J. , Deiker, S. , Duncan, W. , Ferreira, S. , Irwin, K. , Reintsema, C. and Vale, L. (2004), Characterization and Reduction of Unexplained Noise in Superconducting Transition-Edge Sensors, Applied Physics Letters, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=31616 (Accessed October 10, 2025)