“Superconducting detectors technologies for very high-resolution spectroscopy for environmental analysis”

My Ph.D. thesis investigates the applicability of cryogenic detectors, originally being developed for astrophysics and cosmology missions, for Earth observation purposes. In particular, the aim of my Ph.D. thesis is to develop a superconducting detector based on transition-edge sensor (TES) technology, and to characterize its structural and superconducting behaviour in environments suitable for balloon-borne instruments with a further possibility to evaluates the potential of these TES based detectors for satellite remote sensing and space based environmental observation applications. Superconducting detectors represent cutting-edge technology in energy dispersive spectroscopy with the ability to count individual photons from high energies (X-rays and gamma rays), visible and infrared (0.1 eV), and photon flux from THz to microwaves with Noise Equivalent Power better than aW/√Hz [3,53]. This would enable the construction of instruments for remote vibrational spectroscopy of molecules to detect trace gases, offering unparalleled sensitivity and resolution in molecular vibration analysis. Their applications in atmospheric science, trace gas detection, and space-based observations are transforming our ability to monitor and understand environmental and climatic processes. Despite the challenges associated with cryogenic operation, the advantages of superconducting detectors make them indispensable tools for advancing vibrational spectroscopy and its applications in environmental science and modern industry. In fact, present challenge for long-term, high-precision, large-scale, 3D atmospheric monitoring needs to combine heterogeneous modern technologies and especially for the detection. Such detectors have been designed for space missions to observe the universe and have performance one to several orders of magnitude higher than those currently in use. They are thermal devices that convert radiation into heat, which is why they have a broad spectrum of use: from soft X-rays, UV, IR, and even microwaves. They have the ability to detect the energy of single photons up to far infrared (0.1eV) and powers (NEP) of about aWs1/2. Therefore, cryogenic instruments have been proposed and are being developed for X-ray astrophysics (ATHENA project-ESA/ASI) and physical cosmology of the cosmic microwave background radiation (LSPE project-ASI/INFN). The great sensitivity and resolution over a large part of the EM spectrum, can make a significant contribution to obtaining the 3D distribution of atmospheric pollution, to the search for emissions and the mechanisms of pollution.