POLARIZATION DEPENDENCE OF TRAP DETECTORS

The sensitivity of a series of silicon trap detectors has been measure d as a function of beam polarization. Measurements and numerical simul ation show that very small departures from the ideal orientation of th e photodiodes mounted in the trap induces a significant sensitivity to the state of polarization of the beam. Consequences of this polarizat ion dependence for the use of trap detectors as transfer detectors in high-accuracy applications, particularly in cryogenic radiometry, are discussed.