Collaborative Research: Demonstration of Superspec: a Superconducting On-Chip Spectrometer for mm and submm Wavelength Astrophysics

拼凑现代天文学研究难题所需的许多关键信息都是由人眼看不见的波长的光携带的，比如长波无线电波和短波长的紫外线。制造仪器来看到人眼无法看到的东西对科学来说是至关重要的。该项目旨在开发对亚毫米范围的光谱敏感的仪器，波长比无线电波短，但比人眼敏感的可见光长。研究人员确实为自己设定了一个非常雄心勃勃的目标，即在一个芯片上建立一个完整的光谱仪或探测器系统，能够定量测量亚毫米辐射的波长成分，这种芯片的制造技术与制造微观电子集成电路的技术类似。在这项工作中使用的探测器是经典的低温超导体，配置为热测量传感器。特别是，本研究将利用由氮化钛（TiN）制成的动态电感探测器（KIDs），这是一种相对成熟的材料体系和探测器设计，需要相对宽松的线规则。当设备准备好后，它们将被部署到一台被带到望远镜上的仪器上。示范观测将以遥远的尘埃星系为目标。从长远来看，这里首创的技术将使具有二维光谱仪阵列的集成现场单元仪器成为可能，这是广泛天文学领域的强大工具。作为亚毫米仪器领域令人兴奋的新方向的技术探路者，这些观测结果应该具有实质性的更广泛的影响。计划中的对年轻科学家的培训，以及高级人员的公共宣传活动，将有助于将这种兴奋传达给专业人士和公众。该项目由美国国家科学基金会天文科学部通过其先进技术和仪器计划提供资金。

Much of the critical information needed to piece together the puzzles of modern astronomy research is carried by wavelengths of light invisible to the human eye, such as the long wavelength radio waves and the very short wavelength ultraviolet. Building instrumentation to see what the human eye cannot is essential to science. This project aims to develop instruments sensitive to the submillimeter range of the light spectrum, shorter in wavelength than radio waves, but longer than the optical light to which the human eye is sensitive. The investigators indeed set themselves the very ambitious goal of building a complete spectrograph, or detector system, capable of quantitatively measuring wavelength components of submillimeter radiation, on a single chip made by techniques similar to those used to make microscopic electronic integrated circuits.The detectors used in this effort are classic, low-temperature superconductors, configured as bolometric sensors. In particular, this investigation will make use of Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) made of titanium nitride (TiN), a relatively mature material system and detector design that calls for relatively relaxed line rules. When devices are ready, they will be deployed on an instrument taken to a telescope. Demonstration observations will target distant dusty galaxies. Longer term, the technology to be pioneered here will enable Integral Field Unit instrumentation featuring 2D arrays of spectrometers, a powerful tool in a broad range of astronomy.These observations should have substantial broader impacts as a technology pathfinder in an exciting new direction in submillimeter instrumentation. The planned training of younger scientists, and the public outreach activities of the senior personnel, will help to communicate this excitement to the profession and the general public.Funding for this project is being provided by NSF's Division of Astronomical Sciences through its Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation program.