Transition edge sensor

Have you ever touched something really cold or really hot? How did your skin feel? It probably felt different from normal, right? That's because your skin has special sensors that can detect temperature changes.

Now, imagine a scientist trying to measure temperature in outer space or in a really cold laboratory. They need a special sensor that is much more sensitive than our skin. That's where a Transition Edge Sensor (TES) comes in.

A TES is a tiny sensor that works kind of like our skin sensors but is super sensitive. It's made of a super thin strip of material that is cooled to a very low temperature, almost absolute zero (-273.15 C or -459.67 F). At such low temperatures, the material changes its electrical resistance in response to different temperatures.

When a TES is placed near something that has to be measured, it absorbs the heat and the material becomes warmer. This causes a small electrical current to pass through the material, giving us a measure of the temperature.

TES are used in many scientific applications, such as measuring the temperature of stars, detecting radiation, and even studying the origin of the universe. They help us understand the world around us by allowing us to measure things in ways that our human senses can't.