SUPERCONDUCTING DETECTOR OF NUCLEAR PARTICLES.
Abstract
The response of thin, superconducting films of tin and of indium to alpha particle bombardment has been studied. The films were sufficiently thin and narrow that individual alpha particle impacts initiated superconducting to normal transitions across a full film cross section. The transitions were observed by means of the IR drop produced by a transport current. For low current densities, self-terminating voltage pulses of a few nanoseconds duration were observed. At higher current densities, a normal region initiated by an alpha particle propagated, by Joule heating, to the ends of the film. The alpha-particle range exceeded the thickness of the films and the energy deposited in the substrate by an alpha traversal affected the response of any film in direct contact with its substrate. Thin, thermally insulating films introduced between the detectors and their substrates, however, effectively isolated the detectors. The variation of count rate with film current was studied and is shown to be consistent with the variation of critical current density along the length of the film. A heat diffusion model accounts for the observed behavior of the thermally isolated films. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1969
- Accession Number
- AD0704523
Entities
People
- Donald Edward Spiel
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School