SQUID amplifier
SQUID amplifiers are amplifiers in which as an amplifying component instead of z. B. a transistor or an electron tube, a superconducting quantum interference detector ( SQUID ) is used. SQUIDs are the most sensitive practically applicable sensors for magnetic fields to date .
The signal to be amplified is converted into a magnetic field via an induction coil , which is detected by the SQUID.
To amplify higher-frequency signals, coils are also used to couple the signal, which are only in contact with the signal source at one end; the other end is open ( microstrip principle).
SQUID amplifiers are lower in noise (see: Noise (Physics) ) than semiconductor amplifiers and all other known amplifier types. They are therefore used in measurement technology to amplify the smallest signals.
One potential application is the Axion - detector at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory .
Web links
- Axion Experiment (pdf; 1.97 MB)