ENECTALI (TALI) FIGUEROA-FELICIANO, Assistant
Professor of Physics
Research Interests
Professor Figueroa's research interests revolve around the development of high-energy-resolution imaging spectrometers for space-borne applications in experimental astrophysics and cosmology.
Cryogenic thermal detectors (bolometers and microcalorimeters) are broad-band, non-dispersive, highly sensitive detectors that are being developed for astronomical observations from the microwave to the gamma-ray bands. The science targets for these detectors include (among others): SZ measurements of clusters, mapping of molecular and dust clouds, timing studies of pulsars, understanding the environment near the event horizon of black holes, and tracing the elemental abundances and velocity structure of supernovae remnants, galaxies, and clusters. They also have many applications outside astrophysics, including materials analysis, quantum cryptography, and security/defense.
Figueroa pioneered the development of position-sensitive detectors that will provide an order of magnitude more pixels (and thus larger field of view) than traditional single-pixel X-ray microcalorimeters. His broader interests include cosmology, clusters of galaxies, superconductivity and the study of phase transitions, phonon propagation modes in thin films, quantum electronics, and building spaceflight hardware.
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Biographical Sketch
Enectalí Figueroa-Feliciano received a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez in 1995. He earned his masters and Ph.D. in physics at Stanford University working with professors Blas Cabrera and Arthur B. C. Walker. Upon graduation from Stanford in 2001, he became an astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. He is the microcalorimeter lead for the Generation-X Vision Mission, a member of the Constellation-X facility science team, Suzaku Observatory science working group, and X-ray Quantum Calorimeter (XQC) sounding rocket team. He has received several NASA awards for the development and demonstration of position-sensitive x-ray microcalorimeters.
[top] Selected Publications
"Position-sensitive low-temperature detectors," E. Figueroa-Feliciano. Invited review in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A , 520, pp. 496–501, 2004.
"Cryogenic Microcalorimeters," M. Galeazzi and E. Figueroa-Feliciano. Contributed chapter in X-ray Spectrometry: Recent Technological Advances , John Wiley & Sons, 2004.
"Position-sensitive transition edge sensor modeling and results," C. Hammock, E. Figueroa-Feliciano, E. Apodaca, S. Bandler, K. Boyce, J. Chervenak, F. Finkbeiner, R. Kelley, M. Lindeman, S. Porter, T. Saab, and C. Stahle. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A , 520, pp. 505–507, 2004.
"A high spectral resolution observation of the soft x-ray diffuse background with thermal detectors," D. McCammon, R. Almy, E. Apodaca, W. Bergmann Tiest, W. Cui, S. Deiker, M. Galeazzi, M. Juda, A. Lesser, T. Mihara, J. P. Morgenthaler, W. T. Sanders, J. Zhang, E. Figueroa-Feliciano, R. L. Kelley, S. H. Moseley, R. F. Mushotzky, F. S. Porter, C. K. Stahle, and A. E. Szymkowiak. Astrophysical Journal , 576 , pp. 188–203, 2002.
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