Cryogenic X-ray detectors for synchrotron science

Cryogenic detectors operated at temperatures below 1 K offer an order of magnitude higher energy resolution than conventional semiconductor-based energy-dispersive detectors, and orders of magnitude higher efficiency that grating spectrometers. Initially developed for astrophysics applications, these detectors are increasingly used in synchrotron-based research, both for detector characterization and for high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy. This article reviews current cryogenic detector technologies and their performance with respect to their use in synchrotron science. It also discusses areas of research that can benefit from improved energy resolution detectors, and outlines desirable detector developments in the context of novel science they would enable.