A Multi-Element Microcalorimeter X-ray Detector that processes Pulses in Real Time

Terrence Jach, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD, Stephen M. Thurgate, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia, Robin Cantor, Star Cryoelectronics, Santa Fe, NM, and Joel Ullom, NIST, Boulder, CO. We describe a microcalorimeter x-ray detector that operates up to 8 detector elements with full digital processing in real time. Each detector element employs a transition-edge sensor and two-stage SQUID electronics. The detector covers an energy range of 200 eV to 10 keV, with 5 eV resolution, at a count rate of 800/s. The processing includes pulse pileup rejection, digital filtering, peak fitting and an energy-calibrated histogram that displays a collective spectrum from all 8 detectors. The computer overhead is sufficiently low that we can envision a considerable expansion of the number of detectors.