Laser cooling of solids for sensitive sensors
Sunday, May 16, 2010 - 22:21
in Physics & Chemistry
The sensors that allow satellites to take measurements are happiest when cold. Mechanical pumps onboard keep sensors' semiconductor elements at temperatures hundreds of degrees below zero. But these cryogenic pumps also produce noisy vibrations that interfere with the collection of data by the sensitive sensors. Researchers are developing a technique to cool semiconductors loads that would use a vibration-free solid-state technology.