Achievements and potential of the Josephson effect in new superconducting devices

Since many years, superconductive tunnel junction devices have been widely investigated in the context of energy spectroscopy. High-resolution detectors for energy spectroscopy have been realized based on the single particle tunneling. On the other hand, the Josephson effect offers a very powerful tool for the design of proper detector configurations and an intrinsic potential for fast-response detectors to the radiation interaction. The present paper deals with this last issue discussing the underlying physical aspects and potential performance of such devices.