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CRYOTRON AS IONIZING-PARTICLE DETECTOR
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1962
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Superconducting MaterialEngineeringNuclear PhysicsSuperconductivitySuperconducting DevicesLow-temperature SuperconductivityHigh-tc SuperconductivityPhysicsAtomic PhysicsFission FragmentsQuantum SuperconductivityNatural SciencesParticle PhysicsApplied PhysicsCryogenicsGate LoopsDetector PhysicAlpha ParticlesParticle Accelerator
The cryotron is used as a detector of alpha particles or fission fragments. It has 2 gate loops of dissimilar metals, such as Sn and Pb, and is held at a temperature just below the lower of the two critical temperatures. It is kept in a metastable state with the Sn loop earrying a current slightly below the value at which superconductivity is destroyed. The passage of a heavily ionizing particle through the Sn loop dcstroys the superconductivity and causes the current to switch into the other loop, registering a count. (L.N.N.)