Speaker
Description
We have commissioned an array of superconducting Transition-edge sensors (TES) that has become a key instrument for X-ray spectroscopy at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL). These detectors fill a significant gap in the capabilities of current X-ray instruments because of their unique combination of good energy resolution and high throughput. Measurements enabled by TES will open up new research avenues in biology, chemistry, and materials science. We will introduce the TES spectrometer in the context of X-ray spectroscopy and explain how our detector has helped to understand oxygen binding in blood, battery cathodes, and chemical sensing with carbon nanomaterials. We will highlight the first science results from the detector and outline the key problems that had to be solved in order to make an experimental superconducting detector into a robust user instrument.
| Student (Ph.D., M.Sc. or B.Sc.) | Y |
|---|---|
| Less than 5 years of experience since completion of Ph.D | Y |
