PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

UCSB professor develops cutting-edge detector technology for astronomical observations

2013-11-05
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Julie Cohen
julie.cohen@ia.ucsb.edu
805-893-7220
University of California - Santa Barbara
UCSB professor develops cutting-edge detector technology for astronomical observations

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– Semiconductors have had a nice run, but for certain applications, such as astrophysics, they are being edged out by superconductors. Ben Mazin, assistant professor of physics at UC Santa Barbara, has developed a superconducting detector array that measures the energy of individual photons. The design and construction of an instrument based on these arrays, as well as an analysis of its commissioning data, appear in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

"What we have made is essentially a hyperspectral video camera with no intrinsic noise," Mazin said. "On a pixel-per-pixel basis, it's a quantum leap from semiconductor detectors; it's as big a leap going from film to semiconductors as it is going from semiconductors to these superconductors. This allows all kinds of really interesting instruments based on this technology."

Mazin's ARray Camera for Optical to Near-infrared (IR) Spectrophotometry (ARCONS) is the first ground-based instrument optical through near-IR using Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs). An MKID is a type of superconducting photon detector; microwave refers to the readout frequency rather than the frequency at which the detectors operate.

MKIDs were first developed a decade ago by Mazin, his Ph.D. adviser Jonas Zmuidzinas, professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology, and Dr. Henry LeDuc at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. MKIDs are used in astronomy for taking measurements across the electromagnetic spectrum. In his lab at UCSB, Mazin has adapted these detectors for the ultraviolet, optical and near-IR parts of the spectrum.

Superconductivity is a quantum phenomenon that occurs as certain materials are cooled to near absolute zero, thereby eliminating all electrical resistance and magnetic fields. MKIDs, which operate at cryogenic temperatures (typically 0.1 Kelvin), allow astronomers to determine the energy and arrival time of individual photons.

"Forty years ago we were doing optical astronomy with photographic plates, which use light to change a chemical emulsion," Mazin explained. "When we switched from photographic plates to the charge couple devices (CCDs) contained in today's electronics, per-pixel performance of the detectors went up by a factor of 20.

"In the last decade, CCDs and other semiconductor-based detectors for the optical and near-IR have started to hit fundamental limits in their per-pixel performance," Mazin added. "They've gotten about as good as they can get in a given pixel. The way they continue to improve is by making huge pixel mosaics, which is appropriate for many but not all applications."

For observations of rare objects like optical pulsars and high redshift galaxies, ARCONS' small field of view (20 inches by 20 inches) is not a drawback. In fact, it exponentially improves observing efficiency as compared to conventional filter-based multicolor observations. Another advantage of MKIDs is time resolution, which shows the arrival of each and every photon. This allows astronomers to see rapidly changing events, a great advantage for many observations.

MKIDs have inherent frequency domain multiplexing capabilities, which enable thousands of devices to be read out over a single microwave feed line. The size of the arrays is limited by the microwave readout, which uses very similar technology to a cellphone base station. This means the number of MKIDs that can be read out for a given price is increasing according to Moore's Law –– overall processing power for computers doubles every two years –– which should enable megapixel arrays within a decade.

Mazin and his team lens-coupled a 2024-pixel array to the Palomar 200-inch and the Lick 120-inch telescopes in Southern California and Northern California, respectively. ARCONS was on these telescopes for 24 observing nights, during which data was collected on optical pulsars, compact binaries, high redshift galaxies and planetary transits.

"ARCONS is very sensitive but it's been coupled with 5-meter telescopes," Mazin said. "The 8- to 10-meter telescopes, such as Keck, are at better sites with four times the collecting area. We hope to deploy MKID instruments in the next several years at Keck and other telescopes to make fascinating new observations, including using MKIDs coupled to a coronagraph to directly discover and take spectra of planets around nearby stars."



INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

MU researcher finds way to reduce unnecessary lab tests, decrease patient costs by modifying software

2013-11-05
MU researcher finds way to reduce unnecessary lab tests, decrease patient costs by modifying software COLUMBIA, Mo. – When patients undergo diagnostic lab tests as part of the inpatient admission process, they may wonder why or how physicians choose particular ...

Hot-air balloon rides -- researchers advise, proceed with caution

2013-11-05
Hot-air balloon rides -- researchers advise, proceed with caution Recent data show that helicopter and fixed-wing commercial air tour operations in the U.S. have high crash rates compared with similar commercial aviation operations, ...

Climate change, people and ecosystems:Assessing strategies for adaptation

2013-11-05
Climate change, people and ecosystems:Assessing strategies for adaptation A special issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment President Obama marked the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy with an executive order last Friday "preparing the United States ...

NASA sees Tropical Depression 30W affecting central Philippines

2013-11-05
NASA sees Tropical Depression 30W affecting central Philippines Tropical Depression 30W formed and moved through Visayas, Philippines. NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of the depression that showed it had some potential for heavy rain while moving ...

U-M study: 'Smarter' blood pressure guidelines could prevent many more heart attacks and strokes

2013-11-05
U-M study: 'Smarter' blood pressure guidelines could prevent many more heart attacks and strokes Care that emphasizes patients' risks of heart disease could prevent up to 180,000 more heart attacks and strokes a year using less medication over all ANN ...

Endometriosis risk linked to 2 pesticides

2013-11-05
Endometriosis risk linked to 2 pesticides This serious, chronic condition affects up to 10 percent of reproductive-age women SEATTLE – A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center-led study has found that two organochlorine pesticides are associated ...

Pleasure and pain brain signals disrupted in fibromyalgia patients

2013-11-05
Pleasure and pain brain signals disrupted in fibromyalgia patients New research indicates that a disruption of brain signals for reward and punishment contributes to increased pain sensitivity, known as hyperalgesia, in fibromyalgia patients. Results published in Arthritis & ...

Considerable gender, racial and sexuality differences in attitudes toward bisexuality

2013-11-05
Considerable gender, racial and sexuality differences in attitudes toward bisexuality BOSTON, Nov. 5, 2013 – Men who identify themselves as heterosexual are three times more likely to categorize bisexuality as "not a legitimate ...

Microbes in the gut help determine risk of tumors

2013-11-05
Microbes in the gut help determine risk of tumors Transferring the gut microbes from a mouse with colon tumors to germ-free mice makes those mice prone to getting tumors as well, according to the results of a study published in mBio®, the online open-access ...

Study: Access to health care increases prescription opioid availability and associated abuse

2013-11-05
Study: Access to health care increases prescription opioid availability and associated abuse BOSTON -- Researchers at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis say one way to gauge the extent of prescription opioid pain reliever abuse in any Indiana county ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Study shows increasing ‘healthy competition’ between menu options nudges patients towards greener, lower-fat hospital food choices

New insights into melanoma plasticity uncover a critical role of iron metabolism

A graphene sandwich — deposited or transferred?

New light-powered motor fits inside a strand of hair

Oil rig study reveals vital role of tiny hoverflies

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers boost widespread use of dental varnish across pediatric network

iRECODE: A new computational method that brings clarity to single-cell analysis

New NUS-MOH study: Singapore’s healthcare sector carbon emissions 18% lower than expected, a milestone in the city-state’s net zero journey

QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power

Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health

Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world

Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on

A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice

ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle

Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air

GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds

Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity

Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests

Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows

Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events

Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design

New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients

Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?

Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows

[Press-News.org] UCSB professor develops cutting-edge detector technology for astronomical observations