CCAT: Design and Characterization of the 350 GHz Instrument Module

Ben Keller; Jordan Wheeler; Cody J. Duell; Darshan A. Patel; Jason Austermann; Baird D. Bankovic; James Burgoyne; Scott Chapman; Steve K. Choi; Rodrigo Freundt; Min Gao; Eliza Gazda; Anthony I. Huber; Johannes Hubmayr; Lawrence T. Lin; Quintin Meyers; Paul Malachuk; Alicia Middleton; Michael D. Niemack; Tilak M. Patel; Anna Vaskuri; Eve Vavagiakis; Michael R. Vissers; Samantha Walker; Yuhan Wang; Ruixuan; Xie

arXiv · 2608.05121

CCAT: Design and Characterization of the 350 GHz Instrument Module

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Abstract

The CCAT Collaboration's Prime-Cam instrument will soon be deployed to the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST) in Chile's Atacama Desert. Featuring prominently in Prime-Cam's calibration and early science observations will be the 350 GHz instrument module, a broadband camera that will field more than 10,000 microwave kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) across three detector arrays. Forecasts show this module will be capable of making the most sensitive to-date measurements of polarized dust emission over a large fraction of the sky at this frequency, enabling new galactic polarization science and improved understanding of cosmological foregrounds. In this work we discuss the design of the 350 GHz instrument module, covering aspects of the optics, readout, and detector arrays. We then report on the results of in-lab testing of the fully-integrated module, achieving stable cryogenic performance with a 100 mK focal plane, high detector yield, and a passband comparable to designed specifications. Upon completion of these tests, this module was shipped to the telescope site in Chile for integration in Prime-Cam.

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Ben Keller, Jordan Wheeler, Cody J. Duell, Darshan A. Patel, Jason Austermann, Baird D. Bankovic, James Burgoyne, Scott Chapman, Steve K. Choi, Rodrigo Freundt, Min Gao, Eliza Gazda, Anthony I. Huber, Johannes Hubmayr, Lawrence T. Lin, Quintin Meyers, Paul Malachuk, Alicia Middleton, Michael D. Niemack, Tilak M. Patel, Anna Vaskuri, Eve Vavagiakis, Michael R. Vissers, Samantha Walker, Yuhan Wang, Ruixuan, Xie. 2026-08-05. CCAT: Design and Characterization of the 350 GHz Instrument Module. https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.05121

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