Pyroelectric Ceramics as Detectors of Fast Atomic Beams

Abstract

A method for detecting fluxes of energetic atoms with pyroelectric ceramics is described. The detector consists of a commercially available, polarized lead zirconate‐lead titanate (or barium titanate) disk which is silvered on both sides to provide electrical contact. The atoms are stopped in one of the silvered surfaces, and the resulting change in temperature gives rise to a pyroelectric signal. In our application the atomic beam is chopped, and the signal‐to‐noise ratio is increased by phase‐sensitive amplification. Our detectors have been calibrated from 1.6×10⁻⁷ to 3×10⁻¹ W, and are remarkably linear over this range.