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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Applying X-ray Imaging Crystal Spectroscopy for Use as a High Temperature Plasma Diagnostic
Published on: August 25, 2016
High-resolution hard x-ray spectroscopy of high-temperature plasmas using an array of quantum microcalorimeters
Daniel B Thorn1, Ming F Gu, Greg V Brown
1Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA.
Abstract:
Quantum microcalorimeters show promise in being able to fully resolve x-ray spectra from heavy highly charged ions, such as would be found in hot plasmas with temperatures in excess of 50 keV. Quantum microcalorimeter arrays are able to achieve this as they have a high-resolving power and good effective quantum efficiency for hard x-ray photons up to 60 keV. To demonstrate this, we present a measurement using an array of thin HgTe quantum microcalorimeters to measure the K-shell spectrum of hydrogenlike through carbonlike praseodymium (Z=57). With this device we are able to attain a resolving power, E/DeltaE, of 1000 at a photon energy of 37 keV.
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