These methods have traditionally been limited to large or highly concentrated samples. The Transition Edge Sensor (TES) spectrometer<\/a> will enable studies of atomically thin layers, nanostructures, impurities, and highly diluted molecular systems.<\/p>\n \u201cThe superconducting Transition Edge Sensor (TES) array photon detector<\/a> that we have now put into operation at BESSY II is around 100 to 1000 times more efficient to detect photons than conventional XES and RIXS spectrometers,\u201d R\u00e9gis Decker, PhD, a HZB scientist responsible for the new instrument, said. <\/p>\n Decker explained that the system could provide insights into molecular chemistry, molecular biology, and quantum materials. It also complements techniques such as angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). ARPES is widely used to investigate electronic band structures.<\/p>\n Reshaping X-ray analysis<\/p>\n The instrument could significantly cut experiment times. In practice, this means that measurements that would normally take hours with conventional systems could now be completed in just a few minutes. This would make it possible for scientists to collect data more efficiently and investigate more materials. <\/p>\n HZB pointed out that the TES array spectrometer contains 248 sensors that are superconducting when cooled to 25 millikelvin (mK). This is just a fraction of a degree above absolute zero<\/a>. It is achieved using a helium-4\/helium-3 (He4-He3) dilution refrigerator similar to the cryogenic systems used in quantum computers. <\/p>\n Once X-ray photons emitted by a sample strike one of the sensors, they cause a tiny temperature increase that briefly disrupts the sensor\u2019s superconducting state. This change in electrical resistance is detected through a circuit based on an array of Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs<\/a>). <\/p>\n The spectrometer is integrated with a custom ultra-high-vacuum sample chamber that allows researchers to transfer, prepare, and measure samples at temperatures ranging from 10 kelvin (K) to room temperature. <\/p>\n The setup is installed at the BESSY II UE52-SGM beamline, where scientists can also control the polarization of incoming X-rays. \u201cWe are looking forward to receiving exciting research proposals from our user community,\u201d Decker concluded in a press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Researchers in Germany have brought Europe\u2019s first and only superconducting TES-array X-ray spectrometer online at the BESSY II…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":541097,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[77],"tags":[232261,18,19,17,909,913,232262,452,751,3358,133,16622,104338,232263],"class_list":["post-541096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-bessy-ii","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-materials-science","tag-nanotechnology","tag-photon-detection","tag-physics","tag-quantum-computing","tag-quantum-materials","tag-science","tag-superconductivity","tag-synchrotron","tag-x-ray-spectroscopy"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116769581167918404","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=541096"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541096\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/541097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=541096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=541096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=541096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Z2_9687d1.jpg\" "\\"Europe\u2019s")
The detector array contains 248 sensors.
Credit: R\u00e9gis Decker \/ HZB<\/a><\/p>\n