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Chiko Otani

Publications and source records attributed to Chiko Otani.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

GroundBIRD: First On-Sky Responsivity Calibration at the Teide Observatory

GroundBIRD is a cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment located at the Teide Observatory (altitude $\sim2400$ m, Spain) designed to measure large-angular-scale intensity and polarization anisotropies ($\ell \gtrsim 6$ to $\ell \sim 300$) to constrain the reionization optical depth, $\tau$. The instrument employs a rapidly rotating telescope with a fixed elevation of $70$ deg and is equipped with 161 lenslet-coupled kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs): 138 at 145 GHz for CMB observations and 23 at 220 GHz for thermal dust characterization, all operated at $\sim280$ mK. This scan strategy provides daily coverage of $\sim$40% of the Northern Hemisphere sky. We present the first on-sky responsivity calibration model for GroundBIRD, derived from repeated observations of Jupiter using the twelve most stable KIDs from GroundBIRD array 6 (GB06). The analysis establishes and validates a calibration methodology for this detector subset while providing the first empirical characterization of detector responsivity as a function of precipitable water vapor (PWV). We find that the responsivity decreases by approximately 30% across the sampled PWV range and is well described by a linear PWV-dependent model. Comparison with Moon observations reveals distinct detector operating regimes associated with different optical loading conditions. The Jupiter-based calibration achieves better than 20% precision under typical observing conditions and better than 20% relative stability over a one-month timescale. These results establish the basis for extending the calibration methodology to the full GroundBIRD focal plane.

astro-ph.IM

GLTCAM: Concept of Multi-color Millimeter and Submillimeter Camera for the Greenland Telescope

To investigate the formation history of large-scale structure through the dynamics of galaxy clusters, we are developing a multi-color millimeter and submillimeter-wave continuum camera (GLTCAM) for deployment on the Green-land Telescope (GLT). GLTCAM will observe in six frequency bands - three in the millimeter range (150, 220, and 270 GHz) and three in the submillimeter range (350, 400, and 670 GHz). The optical design provides a compact configuration that fits within the GLT receiver cabin, while delivering diffraction-limited performance over an $18'$ field of view with minimal telecentricity error and distortion. A key advantage of this design is its uniform illumination footprint at the cold stop, which helps minimize thermal loading on both the detectors and the cryogenic stages. The focal plane module comprises a quasi-optical bandpass filter, a conical horn array coupled with planar ortho mode transducers (OMTs), and a superconducting multi-color microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) array. Current development efforts are focused on the three-color millimeter-wave module. The detector array employs a single-layer coplanar waveguide (CPW) architecture, which simplifies fabrication and enables scalability to large-format arrays. GLTCAM aims for the early realization of next-generation wide-field, multi-color observations as a pathfinder for future large submillimeter telescopes.

astro-ph.IM

First Limits on Axion Dark Matter from a DALI Prototype

We report a pilot dark-matter search with a cryogenic, magnetized, scaled-down DALI prototype. An analysis of 36 hours of data reveals no statistically significant excess attributable to axionlike particles. We therefore set new exclusion limits in the 6.883--6.920 GHz band, reaching an axion-photon coupling sensitivity of $g_{a\gamma\gamma}\lesssim 1.27\times10^{-11}\,\mathrm{GeV}^{-1}$ at 28.54 $\mu$eV. These results consolidate the DALI approach and motivate a next-stage haloscope to explore a broader mass range with upgraded instrumentation.

hep-ex

Optimization procedure of the baffle of the GroundBIRD Telescope to mitigate stray light

We presented the optimization procedures of the baffle mounted on the GroundBIRD telescope for measuring the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background~(CMB). The telescope employs dual mirror reflective telescopes installed in a cryostat. The primary objectives were to minimize stray light contamination, maintain the integrity of the main beam, and ensure that thermal loading from the baffle remains significantly below that from the atmosphere. Using quasi-optical simulations, we have optimized the baffle's aperture angle to suppress stray light without degrading the main beam quality. We confirmed through Moon observations that the optimized baffle design works to eliminate the contamination of the stray light as expected. Furthermore, no measurable degradation in the noise equivalent temperature~(NET) was detected, indicating minimal thermal impact. These results show that our baffle optimization strategy effectively reduces systematic errors while maintaining observational sensitivity, providing valuable insights for future CMB experiments with similar optical architectures.

astro-ph.IM

GroundBIRD Telescope: Systematics Modelization of MKID Arrays Response

Kinetic inductance detectors are widely used in millimeter- and submillimeter-wave astronomy, benefiting from their fast response and relative ease of fabrication. The GroundBIRD telescope employs microwave kinetic inductance detectors at 145 and 220 GHz to observe the cosmic microwave background. As a ground-based telescope, it is subject to inherent environmental systematics, namely atmospheric emission and thermal fluctuations of the focal plane temperature. This study models resonance frequency shifts induced by each source using calibrated on-site measurements of precipitable water vapor and temperature. Comparison with observational data confirms the validity of the models and identifies atmospheric loading as the dominant contributor to frequency variation under typical observation conditions.

astro-ph.IM

Enhanced TM-Mode 3D Coupled Wave Theory for Photonic Crystal Surface-Emitting Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers

In this study, we propose and develop an enhanced three-dimensional coupled wave theory (3D CWT) to investigate the optical field behavior in photonic crystal surface-emitting terahertz quantum cascade lasers (THz-QCLs). By incorporating an effective permittivity enhancement (EP) model and a self-consistent iteration (SCI) method, we successfully address the numerical dispersion issues encountered in analytical methods when dealing with metallic waveguide structures. The results demonstrate that the EP and SCI-enhanced 3D TM mode CWT achieves computational accuracy comparable to traditional numerical simulation methods such as finite-difference time-domain (FDTD), while significantly reducing the required computational resources, including time and memory, to just tens of minutes. Moreover, this method provides a clear physical insight, revealing the reasons behind the current low extraction efficiency in surface-emitting THz-QCLs. Our study showcases the potential of the EP and SCI-enhanced 3D CWT as a powerful simulation tool in the research of photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers, offering a new theoretical foundation and optimization direction for future laser designs.

physics.optics

Commissioning the CMB polarization telescope GroundBIRD with the full set of detectors

GroundBIRD is a ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment for observing the polarization pattern imprinted on large angular scales ($\ell > 6$ ) from the Teide Observatory in Tenerife, Spain. Our primary scientific objective is a precise measurement of the optical depth $τ$ ($σ(τ) \sim 0.01$) to the reionization epoch of the Universe to cross-check systematic effects in the measurements made by previous experiments. GroundBIRD observes a wide sky area in the Northern Hemisphere ($\sim 40\%$ of the full sky) while continuously rotating the telescope at a high speed of up to 20 rotations per minute (rpm) to overcome the fluctuations of atmospheric radiation. We have adopted the NbTiN/Al hybrid microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) as focal plane detectors. We observe two frequency bands centered at 145 GHz and 220 GHz. The 145 GHz band picks up the peak frequency of the CMB spectrum. The 220 GHz band helps accurate removal of the contamination of thermal emission from the Galactic interstellar dust. The MKID arrays (138 MKIDs for 145GHz and 23 MKIDs for 220GHz) were designed and optimized so as to minimize the contamination of the two-level-system noise and maximize the sensitivity. The MKID arrays were successfully installed in May 2023 after the performance verification tests were performed at a laboratory. GroundBIRD has been upgraded to use the full MKID arrays, and scientific observations are now underway. The telescope is automated, so that all observations are performed remotely. Initial validations, including polarization response tests and observations of Jupiter and the moon, have been completed successfully. We are now running scientific observations.

astro-ph.IM

Echo-free quality factor of a multilayer axion haloscope

We report a methodology to determine the quality factor ($Q$) in implementations of the so-called dielectric haloscope, a new concept of wavy dark matter detector equipped with a multilayered resonator. An anechoic chamber enables the observation of the resonance frequency and its amplitude for an unlimited series of layers for the first time, which is conveniently filtered. The frequency-normalized power enhancement measured in a Dark-photons \& Axion-Like particles Interferometer (DALI) prototype is a few hundred per layer over a sweep bandwidth of half a hundred MHz. In light of this result, this scaled-down prototype is sensitive to axions saturating the local dark matter density with a coupling to photons between $g_{aγγ}\gtrsim10^{-12}$ GeV$^{-1}$ and $g_{aγγ}\gtrsim$ few $\times 10^{-14}$ GeV$^{-1}$ at frequencies of several dozens of GHz once cooled down to the different working temperatures of the experiment and immersed in magnetic fields ranging from 1 T to 10 T; while the sensitivity of the full-scale DALI is projected at $g_{aγγ}\gtrsim\mathrm{few}\times10^{-15}$ GeV$^{-1}$ over the entire 25--250 μeV range since $Q\gtrsim10^4$ is expected.

hep-ex

Discovery prospects with the Dark-photons & Axion-Like particles Interferometer

We discuss the discovery potential of the Dark-photons & Axion-Like particles Interferometer (DALI) in this letter. The apparatus, currently in a design and prototyping phase, will probe axion dark matter from the Teide Observatory, an environment protected from terrestrial microwave sources, reaching Dine--Fischler--Srednicki--Zhitnitsky-like axion sensitivity in the range 25--250 $μ$eV of mass. The experimental approach shows a potential to probe dark sector photons of kinetic mixing strength in excess of several $10^{-16}$, and to establish new constraints to a stochastic gravitational wave background in its band. We identify different branches, including cosmology, stellar, and particle physics, where this next-generation halo-telescope may play a role in coming years.

hep-ph

A forecast of the sensitivity of the DALI Experiment to Galactic axion dark matter

The axion is a long-postulated boson that can simultaneously solve two fundamental problems of modern physics: the charge-parity symmetry problem in the strong interaction and the enigma of dark matter. In this work we estimate, by means of Monte Carlo simulations, the sensitivity of the Dark-photons$\&$Axion-Like particles Interferometer (DALI), a new-generation Fabry-Pérot haloscope proposed to probe axion dark matter in the 25-250 $μ$eV band.

hep-ph

Experimental measurement of the quality factor of a Fabry-Pérot open-cavity axion haloscope

The axion is a hypothetical boson arising from the most natural solution to the problem of charge and parity symmetry in the strong nuclear force. Moreover, this pseudoscalar emerges as a dark matter candidate in a parameter space extending several decades in mass. The Dark-photons \& Axion-Like particles Interferometer (DALI) is a proposal to search for axion dark matter in a range that remains under-examined. Currently in a design and prototyping phase, this haloscope is a multilayer Fabry-Pérot interferometer. A proof-of-principle experiment is performed to observe the resonance in a prototype. The test unveils a quality factor per open cavity of a few hundred over a bandwidth of the order of dozens of megahertz. The result elucidates a physics potential to find the, so far elusive, axion, in a sector which can simultaneously solve the symmetry problem in the strong interaction and the enigma of dark matter.

hep-ph

Axion-photon multimessenger astronomy with giant flares

We treat prospects for multimessenger astronomy with giant flares (GFs), a rare transient event featured by magnetars that can be as luminous as a hundred of the brightest supernovae ever observed. The beamed photons could correlate with an axion counterpart via resonant conversion in the magnetosphere. In a realistic parameter space, we find that the sensitivity limit to galactic GFs for currently viable experiments is $\mathrm{g}_{ϕγ}\!\gtrsim\!\mathrm{several}\!\times\!10^{-13}$ GeV$^{-1}$ \& $\mathrm{g}_{ϕe}\!\gtrsim\!\mathrm{few}\!\times\!10^{-12}$. We rule out the compatibility of axion flares with the recent XENON1T excess only due to the time persistence of the signal.

hep-ph

Superdense beaming of axion dark matter in the vicinity of the light cylinder of pulsars

In this article we treat the non-adiabatic photon-to-axion resonant conversion of curvature radiation, synchrotron emission and inverse Compton scattering dominating the spectral density function of pulsars. First, we introduce emission models and benchmark observational data.vWe adopt a state-of-the-art density profile that relieves tension with the quantum electrodynamics vacuum polarization effect in highly magnetic stars, leading to efficient mixing. Then, we estimate the dark matter flux induced by photon-axion oscillation across the light cylinder of the neutron star. We find that pulsars might produce axion overdensities many orders of magnitude over the occupation number of dark matter in the Galactic halo within a broad parameter space. We point out possible new methods for axion detection derived from these results and other future lines of work.

astro-ph.HE

Characterization of two-level system noise for microwave kinetic inductance detector comprising niobium film on silicon substrate

A microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) is a cutting-edge superconducting detector. It comprises a resonator circuit constructed with a superconducting film on a dielectric substrate. To expand its field of application, it is important to establish a method to suppress the two-level system (TLS) noise that is caused by the electric fluctuations between the two energy states at the surface of the substrate. The electric field density can be decreased by expanding the strip width (S) and gap width from the ground plane (W) in the MKID circuit, allowing the suppression of TLS noise. However, this effect has not yet been confirmed for MKIDs made with niobium films on silicon substrates. In this study, we demonstrate its effectiveness for such MKIDs. We expanded the dimension of the circuit from (S, W) = (3.00 $μ$m, 4.00 $μ$m) to (S, W) = (5.00 $μ$m, 23.7 $μ$m), and achieved an increased suppression of 5.5 dB in TLS noise.

physics.ins-det

Hot carrier dynamics and electron-optical phonon coupling in photoexcited graphene via time-resolved ultrabroadband terahertz spectroscopy

Electron-electron (e-e) interaction is known as a source of logarithmic renormalizations for Dirac fermions in quantum field theory. The renormalization of electron--optical phonon coupling (EPC) by e-e interaction, which plays a pivotal role in hot carrier and phonon dynamics, has been discussed after the discovery of graphene. We investigate the hot carrier dynamics and the EPC strength using time-resolved ultrabroadband terahertz (THz) spectroscopy combined with numerical simulation based on the Boltzmann transport equation and comprehensive temperature model. The large negative photoconductivity and the non-Drude behavior of THz conductivity spectra appear under high pump fluence and can be attributed to the temporal variation of the hot carrier distribution and scattering rate. We successfully estimate the dimensionless EPC matrix element of the $A_1^{\prime}$ optical phonon mode near the $\mathbf{K}$ point as $λ_{\mathbf{K}} \approx$0.09 from the fitting of THz conductivity spectra and temporal evolution of transient THz reflectivity, which is slightly larger than the prediction of the renormalization group.

cond-mat.mes-hall

A forecast of the sensitivity on the measurement of the optical depth to reionization with the GroundBIRD experiment

We compute the expected sensitivity on measurements of optical depth to reionization for a ground-based experiment at Teide Observatory. We simulate polarized partial sky maps for the GroundBIRD experiment at the frequencies 145 and 220 GHz. We perform fits for the simulated maps with our pixel-based likelihood to extract the optical depth to reionization. The noise levels of polarization maps are estimated as 110 $\mu\mathrm{K~arcmin}$ and 780 $ \mu\mathrm{K~arcmin}$ for 145 and 220 GHz, respectively, by assuming a three-year observing campaign and sky coverages of 0.537 for 145 GHz and 0.462 for 220 GHz. Our sensitivities for the optical depth to reionization are found to be $\sigma_\tau$=0.030 with the simulated GroundBIRD maps, and $\sigma_\tau$=0.012 by combining with the simulated QUIJOTE maps at 11, 13, 17, 19, 30, and 40 GHz.

astro-ph.CO

Intrinsic and extrinsic effects on intraband optical conductivity of hot carriers in photoexcited graphene

We present a numerical study on the intraband optical conductivity of hot carriers at quasi-equilibria in photoexcited graphene based on the semiclassical Boltzmann transport equations (BTE) with the aim of understanding the effects of intrinsic optical phonon and extrinsic coulomb scattering caused by charged impurities at the graphene--substrate interface. Instead of using full-BTE solutions, we employ iterative solutions of the BTE and the comprehensive model for the temporal evolutions of hot-carrier temperature and hot-optical-phonon occupations to reduce computational costs. Undoped graphene exhibits large positive photoconductivity owing to the increase in thermally excited carriers and the reduction in charged impurity scattering. The frequency dependencies of the photoconductivity in undoped graphene having high concentrations of charged impurities significantly deviate from those observed in the simple Drude model, which can be attributed to temporally varying charged impurity scattering during terahertz (THz) probing in the hot-carrier cooling process. Heavily doped graphene exhibits small negative photoconductivity similar to that of the Drude model. In this case, charged impurity scattering is substantially suppressed by the carrier-screening effect, and the temperature dependencies of the Drude weight and optical phonon scattering governs the negative photoconductivity. In lightly doped graphene, the appearance of negative and positive photoconductivity depends on the frequency and the crossover from negative photoconductivity to positive emerges from increasing the charged impurity concentration. This indicates the change of the dominant scattering mechanism from optical phonons to charged impurities. Our approach provides a quantitative understanding of non-Drude behaviors and the temporal evolution of photoconductivity in graphene.

cond-mat.mes-hall

GroundBIRD : A CMB polarization experiment with MKID arrays

GroundBIRD is a ground-based experiment for the precise observation of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). To achieve high sensitivity at large angular scale, we adopt three features in this experiment: fast rotation scanning, microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) and cold optics. The rotation scanning strategy has the advantage to suppress $1/f$ noise. It also provides a large sky coverage of 40\%, which corresponds to the large angular scales of $l \sim 6$. This allows us to constrain the tensor-to-scalar ratio by using low $l$ B-mode spectrum. The focal plane consists of 7 MKID arrays for two target frequencies, 145 GHz and 220 GHz band. There are 161 pixels in total, of which 138 are for 144 GHz and 23 are for 220 GHz. This array is currently under development and the prototype will soon be evaluated in telescope. The GroundBIRD telescope will observe the CMB at the Teide observatory. The telescope was moved from Japan to Tenerife and is now under test. We present the status and plan of the GroundBIRD experiment.

astro-ph.IM