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Design and Performance of SuperSpec: An On-Chip, KID-Based, mm-Wavelength Spectrometer

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Abstract

SuperSpec is an ultra-compact spectrometer-on-a-chip for mm and submm wavelength astronomy. Its very small size, wide spectral bandwidth, and highly multiplexed detector readout will enable construction of powerful multi-object spectrometers for observations of galaxies at high redshift. SuperSpec is a filter bank with planar, lithographed, superconducting transmission line resonator filters and lumped-element kinetic inductance detectors made from Titanium Nitride. We have built an 81 detector prototype that operates in the 195–310 GHz band. The prototype has a wide-band metal feed horn with a transition to microstrip that feeds the filter bank. The prototype has demonstrated optical filter bank channels with a range of resolving powers from 300 to 700, measured fractional frequency noise of \(10^{-17} \mathrm{Hz}^{-1}\) at \(1\,\)Hz.

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Notes

  1. Hailey-Dunsheath et al., JLTP, submitted.

  2. Staniszewski et al., JLTP, submitted.

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Acknowledgments

This project is supported by NASA Astrophysics Research and Analysis (APRA) Grant No. 399131.02.06.03.43. ES, CMM, and LJS acknowledge support from the W. M. Keck Institute for Space Studies. MIH, LJS, and TR acknowledge support from the NASA Postdoctoral Program. PSB acknowledges the continuing support from the Science and Technology Facilities Council Ph.D. studentship programme and grant programmes ST/G002711/1 and ST/J001449/1. Device fabrication was performed the JPL Microdevices Laboratory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA

    E. Shirokoff, S. Hailey-Dunsheath, M. I. Hollister, A. Kovács, C. M. McKenney, R. O’Brient, S. Padin & J. Zmuidzinas

  2. School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK

    P. S. Barry, S. Doyle, P. Mauskopf & C. E. Tucker

  3. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, USA

    C. M. Bradford, G. Chattopadhyay, P. Day, H. G. Leduc, H. T. Nguyen, R. O’Brient, T. J. Reck, L. J. Swenson & J. Zmuidzinas

  4. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    P. Mauskopf

Authors
  1. E. Shirokoff
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  2. P. S. Barry
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  3. C. M. Bradford
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  4. G. Chattopadhyay
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  5. P. Day
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  6. S. Doyle
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  7. S. Hailey-Dunsheath
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  8. M. I. Hollister
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  9. A. Kovács
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  10. H. G. Leduc
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  11. C. M. McKenney
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  12. P. Mauskopf
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  13. H. T. Nguyen
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  14. R. O’Brient
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  15. S. Padin
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  16. T. J. Reck
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  17. L. J. Swenson
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  18. C. E. Tucker
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  19. J. Zmuidzinas
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. Shirokoff.

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Shirokoff, E., Barry, P.S., Bradford, C.M. et al. Design and Performance of SuperSpec: An On-Chip, KID-Based, mm-Wavelength Spectrometer. J Low Temp Phys 176, 657–662 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-014-1122-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-014-1122-8

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