The new amplifier
consists of a superconducting material (niobium titanium nitride)
coiled into a double spiral 16 millimeters in
diameter. Credit: Peter Day
Caltech
researchers develop instrument for exploring the cosmos and the quantum world
(July 13, 2012) Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have developed a new type of amplifier
for boosting electrical signals. The device can be used for everything from
studying stars, galaxies, and black holes to exploring the quantum world and
developing quantum computers.
An amplifier is a device
that increases the strength of a weak signal. "Amplifiers play a basic
role in a wide range of scientific measurements and in electronics in
general," says Peter Day, a visiting associate in physics at Caltech and a
principal scientist at JPL. "For many tasks, current amplifiers are good
enough. But for the most demanding applications, the shortcomings of the
available technologies limit us."
"This amplifier will redefine what it is possible to
measure," says Jonas Zmuidzinas, Caltech's Merle Kingsley Professor of
Physics, the chief technologist at JPL, and a member of the research team.