An absolute bolometer detector for energetic neutral particles

Abstract
A bolometer detector for atomic beams is described. It consists of a cage, whose shape ensures nearly complete dissipation of the beam power, and a thermistor attached to it. A convenient calibration procedure with ion beams is provided by simultaneous operation as thermal detector and as Faraday cup. The smallest detectable power is 10−8 W. Absolute currents of neutral particle beams with energies down to 100 eV have been measured.