Thermoelectric Radiation Detector Based on Superconductor-Ferromagnet Systems

This study proposes a scheme for ultrasensitive radiation detection that can be used for several applications, ranging from detection of the cosmic microwave background radiation to security imaging. The sensor exploits the giant thermoelectric effect recently discovered in superconductor-ferromagnet hybrid structures, and therefore does not require external driving fields and has a low operating temperature. Taking advantage of this property could have a special impact on the design of multipixel detectors required for next-generation applications.