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arXiv · 2209.05621

Signal readout for Transition-Edge Sensor X-ray imaging spectrometers

H. Akamatsu·W. B. Doriese·J. A. B. Mates·B. D. Jackson
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Abstract

Arrays of low-temperature microcalorimeters provide a promising technology for X-ray astrophysics: the imaging spectrometer. A camera with at least several thousand pixels, each of which has an energy-resolving power ($E/\Delta E\urss{FWHM}$) of a few thousand across a broad energy range (200~eV to 10~keV or higher), would be a revolutionary instrument for the study of energetic astrophysical objects and phenomena. Signal readout is a critical enabling technology. Multiplexed readout, in which signals from multiple pixels are combined into a single amplifier channel, allows a kilo pixel-scale microcalorimeter array to meet the stringent requirements for power consumption, mass, volume, and cooling capacity in orbit. This chapter describes three different multiplexed-readout technologies for transition-edge-sensor microcalorimeters: time-division multiplexing, frequency-domain multiplexing, and microwave-SQUID multiplexing. For each multiplexing technique, we present the basic method, discuss some design considerations and parameters, and show the state of the art. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of future prospects.

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H. Akamatsu, W. B. Doriese, J. A. B. Mates, B. D. Jackson. 2022-09-12. Signal readout for Transition-Edge Sensor X-ray imaging spectrometers. https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.05621

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