A Review of X-ray Microcalorimeters Based on Superconducting Transition Edge Sensors for Astrophysics and Particle Physics

TL;DR

This review discusses recent advances in superconducting transition edge sensor-based X-ray microcalorimeters, highlighting design breakthroughs enabling large, high-resolution detector arrays for astrophysics and particle physics applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent detector physics insights and design innovations that facilitate large-scale, high-resolution TES microcalorimeter arrays.

Findings

Recent design breakthroughs enable large pixel arrays

Advances in understanding detector physics improve performance

Potential for unprecedented energy resolution in applications

Abstract

The state-of-the-art technology of X-ray microcalorimeters based on superconducting transition edge sensors (TESs), for applications in astrophysics and particle physics, is reviewed. We will show the advance in understanding the detector physics and describe the recent breakthroughs in the TES design that are opening the way towards the fabrication and the read-out of very large arrays of pixels with unprecedented energy resolution. The most challenging low temperature instruments for space- and ground-base experiments will be described.