A 10mK Space Refrigerator for
Microcalorimeters and Phase Transition Detectors |
P.A. Bromiley, J.H. Rochford, I.D. Hepburn, A. Smith, W.
Duncan, and N. Kerley.
Seventh International Conference on Low Temperature
Detectors, Munich, Germany, 1997.
Future X-ray astronomy space missions will demand large detector arrays
with energy resolutions in the region of 2eV. Phase transition detectors,
which require cooling to 10mK, and microcalorimeters operated in the range
10 to 50mK are both candidates for this application. To meet this
requirement coolers able to deliver 10mK in space will need to be
developed. In order for such detectors to be used in future space missions
a 10mK refrigerator will be required. This paper describes the cryogenic
detector and refrigerator development programmes currently being pursued
at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory. The development of a 10mK space
qualified refrigerator is described along with work to optimise the
performance of microcalorimeters by modelling and experimentation.
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