Development of a Superconducting Heat Switch for an Ideal Integrating Bolometer

Authors

  • Mason Mok University of Wisconsin Madison Mechanical Engineering

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17307/wsc.v1i1.181

Keywords:

Cryogenics, Superconductivity, LabVIEW, Sub-Kelvin Refrigeration

Abstract

Improving the sensitivity of current state-of-the-art bolometers is essential for future cosmology endeavors. Having a bolometer that is thermally isolated from its thermal sink is ideal in order to reduce phonon noise: the factor limiting bolometer sensitivity. To thermally isolate a bolometer as much as possible a pixel-scale superconducting heat switch is being developed to control the conductance between a bolometer and its thermal sink. The heat switch is comprised of a superconducting thin aluminum film surrounded by a niobium coil. Current is passed through the coil and the resulting magnetic field drives the aluminum into its high conductance normal state. Experimental data agrees well with the results of a thermal model of the device.  

Author Biography

Mason Mok, University of Wisconsin Madison Mechanical Engineering

Mason Mok is a mechanical engineering graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He participates in cryogenics reasearch with Professors Franklin Miller and John Pfotenhauer.

References

Canavan, E., T. R. Stevenson, P. Nagler, M. Mok. “Demonstration of a Pixel-Scale Superconducting Heat Switch for an Ideal Integrating Bolometer.†Applied Superconductivity Conference 2016. Submitted for publishing.

Kogut A. , M. DiPirro , and S.H. Moseley, “Ideal Integrating Bolometer†New Concepts for Far-Infrared and Submillimeter Space Astronomy, Proc. of the Second Workshop on New Concepts for Far- Infrared and Submillimeter Space Astronomy, College Park, MD, USA, March 7-8, 2002, Eds. Dominic J. Benford and David T. Leisawitz, 2014.

Li, Junyun, V.a Maidanov, H. Dyball, C.p Lusher, B.p Cowan, and J. Saunders. "Current Sensing Noise Thermometry for Millikelvin Temperatures Using a DC SQUID Preamplifier." Measurement and Science Technology. 12.1 (2000): 1-15.

Nagler, P. C., E. Canavan, R. De Alba, and T. R. Stevenson. "Development of Superconducting Magnetic Heat Switches for an Ideal Integrating Bolometer." Journal of Low Temperature Physics 184.1/2 (2016): 280-85.

Rose-Innes, A. C. Introduction to Superconductivity. 2nd ed. Oxford: Pergamon, 1976. Print.

Rostem, Karwan, Dorota M. Glowacka, David J. Goldie, and Stafford Withington. "Thermal Conductance Measurements for the Development of Ultra Low-noise Transition-edge Sensors with a New Method for Measuring the Noise Equivalent Power." Proceedings of SPIE: Millimeter and Submillimeter Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy 7020.70200L (2008)

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Published

2017-01-17

How to Cite

Mok, M. (2017). Development of a Superconducting Heat Switch for an Ideal Integrating Bolometer. Proceedings of the Wisconsin Space Conference, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.17307/wsc.v1i1.181

Issue

2016: Beyond the Horizon

Section

Physics and Engineering

License

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.