Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Superconducting Detectors

Published

Author(s)

Kent D. Irwin

Abstract

Superconducting detectors operated at temperatures near absolute zero are bringing about a broad revolution in measurement capabilities in a wide range of fields. Superconducting detectors are used in measurements across the entire electromagnetic spectrum from radio through gamma rays, as well as with ions, DNA fragments, and weakly interacting particles. They are being applied in materials analysis, astronomy, particle physics, and in the new discipline of quantum information.
Citation
Scientific American
Issue
Nov 2006

Keywords

detectors, microcalorimeter, superconducting, transition edge sensor, tunnel junction

Citation

Irwin, K. (2004), Superconducting Detectors, Scientific American (Accessed April 25, 2024)
Created May 24, 2004, Updated January 27, 2020