Calorimetric Observation of Single ${\text{He}}_2^{\ast }$ Excimers in a 100-mK He Bath

We report the first calorimetric detection of individual ${\text{He}}_2^{\ast }$ excimers within a bath of superfluid ${}^4\text{He}$ . The detector used in this work is a single superconducting titanium transition edge sensor (TES) with an energy resolution of $\sim 1\text{eV}$ , immersed directly in the helium bath. ${\text{He}}_2^{\ast }$ excimers are produced in the surrounding bath using an external gamma-ray source. These excimers exist either as short-lived singlet or long-lived triplet states. We demonstrate detection (and discrimination) of both states: In the singlet case the calorimeter records the absorption of a prompt $\approx 15\text{eV}$ photon, and in the triplet case the calorimeter records a direct interaction of the molecule with the TES surface, which deposits a distinct fraction of the $\approx 15\text{eV}$ , released upon decay, into the surface. We also briefly discuss the detector fabrication and characterization.