Special Astrophysics Seminar

From milliKelvin to MegaKelvin : The connection between superconductivity and cosmology

Tarek Saab

University of Florida

Improvements in observational accuracy are often driven by advances in detector technology. Over the past few years detectors based on superconducting transition-edge sensor technology, mediated by either thermal or athermal phonons, have reached maturity and are finding applications in various areas of astrophysics ranging from Dark Matter detection to X-ray spectroscopy. This talk will describe the operational principles of such detectors and present the latest results and future goals of the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment as well as describe the Micro-X High-Resolution Microcalorimeter X-ray Imaging Rocket to be launched in 2011.