Spectral broadening by incomplete thermalization of the energy in X-ray microcalorimeters with superconducting absorber and NTD-Ge thermal sensor

Abstract

We present a model of the response of a cryogenic microcalorimeter with superconducting absorber and phonon sensitive thermal sensor to the absorption of X-ray photons. The model is based on the main microscopic processes responsible for the thermalization of the deposited energy. We use a system of rate equations to describe the energy downconversion in the superconductor and transport to the thermal sensor. The model is a tool to investigate the thermalization efficiency with respect to the device characteristics (i.e. absorber material, geometry), in order to optimize the performances of these detectors. As a first case study, we report results of simulations for a microcalorimeter with superconducting Sn absorber and neutron transmutation doped (NTD) Ge thermistor, where the experimentally measured spectral resolution is still a factor B3 worse than the limit predicted by the macroscopic formula.