We report the experimental realization of a non-galvanic, primary thermometer capable of measuring the electron temperature of a two-dimensional electron gas with negligible thermal load. Such a thermometer consists of a quantum dot whose temperature-dependent, single-electron transitions are detected by means of a quantum-point-contact electrometer. Its operating principle is demonstrated for a wide range of electron temperatures from 40 to 800 mK. This noninvasive thermometry can find application in experiments addressing the thermal properties of micrometer-scale mesoscopic electron systems, where heating or cooling electrons requires relatively low thermal budgets.
@article{arxiv.1309.2176,
title = {Non-galvanic primary thermometry of a two-dimensional electron gas},
author = {P. Torresani and M. J. Martínez-Pérez and S. Gasparinetti and J. Renard and G. Biasiol and L. Sorba and F. Giazotto and S. De Franceschi},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1309.2176},
year = {2013}
}