TES-based dark matter detectors and certain qubit experiments rely on understanding the dynamics of quasiparticles (QP), broken Cooper pairs in superconducting aluminum. We present preliminary data from a laser-scanning microscopy-based technique for measuring 100µm-scale QP diffusion in superconducting Al films. QP are produced at a localized origin in the Al film using a focused 1550nm laser coupled to a single-mode optical fiber mounted on piezoelectric nanopositioners. The resulting QP propagation can then be monitored using a transition edge sensor (TES), and described using a simple diffusion model.
David Osterman, PhD Student, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Enectali Figueroa-Feliciano
Joan West
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