Development of an imager with high time resolution optical photon counter

Abstract

Astrophysical transient phenomena on sub-millisecond timescales, such as fast radio bursts and giant radio pulses from the Crab pulsar, have been primarily observed in radio wavebands. To investigate their origins, a photon detector with high sensitivity and high time resolution is required also in other wavelengths. Recently, we developed the Imager of MPPC-based Optical photoN counter from Yamagata (IMONY), an observation system utilizing a Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode (GAPD) as a sensor. The sensor consists of 64 pixels, each comprising a GAPD and a quenching resistor, with pixel sizes of 75, 100, 150, and 200\,$\mu$m. Each pixel signal is read out independently, enabling single-photon detection. After successfully observing the Crab pulsar using two Japanese telescopes, we upgraded the readout boards to achieve a more compact and stable system. The new system incorporates an analog application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) developed at KEK for multi-purpose fast readout for silicon photomultipliers. This ASIC features a fast transimpedance amplifier and a comparator, independently processing 16 channels. A Global Navigation Satellite System receiver and a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) provide timestamps for each detected photon with a resolution of 100 ns. The FPGA transmits the acquired data to a PC via Ethernet. This paper presents the details of the new system and the results of its initial evaluation.