arXiv subjects

D. P. Marrone

Publications and source records attributed to D. P. Marrone.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Antenna Technology Readiness for the Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) Mission

The Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) will be the first sub-mm wavelength Space Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) mission. It targets astronomical imaging with the highest ever spatial resolution to enable detection of the predicted photon ring image feature of a supermassive black hole. BHEX is being proposed for launch in 2031 as a NASA Small Explorers mission. The BHEX science goals and the mission opportunity require a large, high precision, lightweight, spaceborne antenna. We present a survey of the technology landscape for realizing such an antenna. Technology readiness (TRL) for the antenna is discussed and assessed to be at TRL 5. A description of our technology maturation efforts towards TRL 6 is provided. Design studies leading to the preliminary design of a high efficiency antenna based on metallized carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) technology with a large 3.4 m primary reflector, a surface precision of < 40 μm to allow efficient operation up to 320 GHz, and a mass of only ~ 50 kg are outlined. Current plans anticipate attaining TRL 6 in 2027-28. Completed studies leading to the preliminary design point to a large margin in surface precision which also opens up applications at significantly higher THz frequencies, beyond BHEX.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

Spectral characterization and performance of SPT-SLIM on-chip filterbank spectrometers

The South Pole Telescope Shirokoff Line Intensity Mapper (SPT-SLIM) experiment is a pathfinder for demonstrating the use of on-chip spectrometers for millimeter (mm) Line Intensity Mapping (LIM). We present spectral bandpass measurements of the SPT-SLIM spectrometer channels made on site using a Fourier Transform Spectrometer during the first deployment of SPT-SLIM in the 2024-2025 Austral summer season. We note the effect of FTS systematics on measurements of on-chip filterbank spectrometer resolutions and demonstrate a technique for measuring the narrow band passes of the SPT-SLIM filterbanks that improves beyond the intrinsic resolution of a Fourier Transform Spectrometer.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

Pointing Accuracy Improvements for the South Pole Telescope with Machine Learning

We present improvements to the pointing accuracy of the South Pole Telescope (SPT) using machine learning. The ability of the SPT to point accurately at the sky is limited by its structural imperfections, which are impacted by the extreme weather at the South Pole. Pointing accuracy is particularly important during SPT participation in observing campaigns with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which requires stricter accuracy than typical observations with the SPT. We compile a training dataset of historical observations of astronomical sources made with the SPT-3G and EHT receivers on the SPT. We train two XGBoost models to learn a mapping from current weather conditions to two telescope drive control arguments -- one which corrects for errors in azimuth and the other for errors in elevation. Our trained models achieve root mean squared errors on withheld test data of $2.14''$ in cross-elevation and $3.57''$ in elevation, well below our goal of $5''$ along each axis. We deploy our models on the telescope control system and perform further in situ test observations during the EHT observing campaign in 2024 April. Our models result in significantly improved pointing accuracy: for sources within the range of input variables where the models are best trained, average combined pointing error improved 33%, from $15.9''$ to $10.6''$. These improvements, while significant, fall shy of our ultimate goal, but they serve as a proof of concept for the development of future models. Planned upgrades to the EHT receiver on the SPT will necessitate even stricter pointing accuracy which will be achievable with our methods.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

Design and Performance of the SPT-SLIM Receiver Cryostat

The South Pole Telescope Shirokoff Line Intensity Mapper (SPT-SLIM) is a millimeter-wavelength line-intensity mapping experiment, which was deployed on the South Pole Telescope (SPT) during the 2024-2025 Austral summer season. This pathfinder experiment serves to demonstrate the on-sky operation of multi-pixel on-chip spectrometer technology. We report on the cryogenic performance of the SPT-SLIM receiver for the first year of commissioning observations. The SPT-SLIM receiver utilizes an Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator (ADR) for cooling the focal plane of superconducting filterbank spectrometers to a temperature of 150 mK. We demonstrate stable thermal performance of the focal plane module during observations consistent with thermal modeling, enabling a cryogenic operating efficiency above 80%. We also report on the receiver control system design utilizing the Observatory Control System (OCS) platform for automated cryogenic operation on the SPT.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

An On-Sky Atmospheric Calibration of SPT-SLIM

We present the methodology and results of the on-sky responsivity calibration of the South Pole Telescope Shirokoff Line Intensity Mapper (SPT-SLIM). SPT-SLIM is a pathfinder line intensity mapping experiment utilizing the on-chip spectrometer technology, and was first deployed during the 2024-2025 Austral Summer season on the South Pole Telescope. During the two-week on-sky operation of SPT-SLIM, we performed periodic measurements of the detector response as a function of the telescope elevation angle. Combining these data with atmospheric opacity measurements from an on-site atmospheric tipping radiometer, simulated South Pole atmospheric spectra, and measured detector spectral responses, we construct estimates for the responsivity of SPT-SLIM detectors to sky loading. We then use this model to calibrate observations of the moon taken by SPT-SLIM, cross-checking the result against the known brightness temperature of the Moon as a function of its phase.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

Design of The Kinetic Inductance Detector Based Focal Plane Assembly for The Terahertz Intensity Mapper

We report on the kinetic inductance detector (KID) array focal plane assembly design for the Terahertz Intensity Mapper (TIM). Each of the 2 arrays consists of 4 wafer-sized dies (quadrants), and the overall assembly must satisfy thermal and mechanical requirements, while maintaining high optical efficiency and a suitable electromagnetic environment for the KIDs. In particular, our design manages to strictly maintain a 50 $\mathrm{μm}$ air gap between the array and the horn block. We have prototyped and are now testing a sub-scale assembly which houses a single quadrant for characterization before integration into the full array. The initial test result shows a $>$95% yield, indicating a good performance of our TIM detector packaging design.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

Design and testing of Kinetic Inductance Detector package for the Terahertz Intensity Mapper

The Terahertz Intensity Mapper (TIM) is designed to probe the star formation history in dust-obscured star-forming galaxies around the peak of cosmic star formation. This will be done via measurements of the redshifted 157.7 um line of singly ionized carbon ([CII]). TIM employs two R $\sim 250$ long-slit grating spectrometers covering 240-420 um. Each is equipped with a focal plane unit containing 4 wafer-sized subarrays of horn-coupled aluminum kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs). We present the design and performance of a prototype focal plane assembly for one of TIM's KID-based subarrays. Our design strictly maintain high optical efficiency and a suitable electromagnetic environment for the KIDs. The prototype detector housing in combination with the first flight-like quadrant are tested at 250 mK. Initial frequency scan shows that many resonances are affected by collisions and/or very shallow transmission dips as a result of a degraded internal quality factor (Q factor). This is attributed to the presence of an external magnetic field during cooldown. We report on a study of magnetic field dependence of the Q factor of our quadrant array. We implement a Helmholtz coil to vary the magnetic field at the detectors by (partially) nulling earth's. Our investigation shows that the earth magnetic field can significantly affect our KIDs' performance by degrading the Q factor by a factor of 2-5, well below those expected from the operational temperature or optical loading. We find that we can sufficiently recover our detectors' quality factor by tuning the current in the coils to generate a field that matches earth's magnetic field in magnitude to within a few uT. Therefore, it is necessary to employ a properly designed magnetic shield enclosing the TIM focal plane unit. Based on the results presented in this paper, we set a shielding requirement of |B| < 3 uT.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

SPT-SZ MCMF: An extension of the SPT-SZ catalog over the DES region

We present an extension to a Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect (SZE) selected cluster catalog based on observations from the South Pole Telescope (SPT); this catalog extends to lower signal-to-noise than the previous SPT-SZ catalog and therefore includes lower mass clusters. Optically derived redshifts, centers, richnesses and morphological parameters together with catalog contamination and completeness statistics are extracted using the multi-component matched filter algorithm (MCMF) applied to the S/N>4 SPT-SZ candidate list and the Dark Energy Survey (DES) photometric galaxy catalog. The main catalog contains 811 sources above S/N=4, has 91% purity and is 95% complete with respect to the original SZE selection. It contains 50% more total clusters and twice as many clusters above z=0.8 in comparison to the original SPT-SZ sample. The MCMF algorithm allows us to define subsamples of the desired purity with traceable impact on catalog completeness. As an example, we provide two subsamples with S/N>4.25 and S/N>4.5 for which the sample contamination and cleaning-induced incompleteness are both as low as the expected Poisson noise for samples of their size. The subsample with S/N>4.5 has 98% purity and 96% completeness, and will be included in a combined SPT cluster and DES weak-lensing cosmological analysis. We measure the number of false detections in the SPT-SZ candidate list as function of S/N, finding that it follows that expected from assuming Gaussian noise, but with a lower amplitude compared to previous estimates from simulations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

Asteroid Measurements at Millimeter Wavelengths with the South Pole Telescope

We present the first measurements of asteroids in millimeter wavelength (mm) data from the South Pole Telescope (SPT), which is used primarily to study the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We analyze maps of two $\sim270$ deg$^2$ sky regions near the ecliptic plane, each observed with the SPTpol camera $\sim100$ times over one month. We subtract the mean of all maps of a given field, removing static sky signal, and then average the mean-subtracted maps at known asteroid locations. We detect three asteroids$\text{ -- }$(324) Bamberga, (13) Egeria, and (22) Kalliope$\text{ -- }$with signal-to-noise ratios (S/N) of 11.2, 10.4, and 6.1, respectively, at 2.0 mm (150 GHz); we also detect (324) Bamberga with S/N of 4.1 at 3.2 mm (95 GHz). We place constraints on these asteroids' effective emissivities, brightness temperatures, and light curve modulation amplitude. Our flux density measurements of (324) Bamberga and (13) Egeria roughly agree with predictions, while our measurements of (22) Kalliope suggest lower flux, corresponding to effective emissivities of $0.66 \pm 0.11$ at 2.0 mm and $<0.47$ at 3.2mm. We predict the asteroids detectable in other SPT datasets and find good agreement with detections of (772) Tanete and (1093) Freda in recent data from the SPT-3G camera, which has $\sim10 \times$ the mapping speed of SPTpol. This work is the first focused analysis of asteroids in data from CMB surveys, and it demonstrates we can repurpose historic and future datasets for asteroid studies. Future SPT measurements can help constrain the distribution of surface properties over a larger asteroid population.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2023

Fabrication Development for SPT-SLIM, a Superconducting Spectrometer for Line Intensity Mapping

Line Intensity Mapping (LIM) is a new observational technique that uses low-resolution observations of line emission to efficiently trace the large-scale structure of the Universe out to high redshift. Common mm/sub-mm emission lines are accessible from ground-based observatories, and the requirements on the detectors for LIM at mm-wavelengths are well matched to the capabilities of large-format arrays of superconducting sensors. We describe the development of an R = 300 on-chip superconducting filter-bank spectrometer covering the 120--180 GHz band optimized for future mm-LIM experiments, focusing on SPT-SLIM, a pathfinder LIM instrument for the South Pole Telescope. Radiation is coupled from the telescope optical system to the spectrometer chip via an array of feedhorn-coupled orthomode transducers. Superconducting microstrip transmission lines then carry the signal to an array of channelizing half-wavelength resonators, and the output of each spectral channel is sensed by a lumped element kinetic inductance detector (leKID). Key areas of development include incorporating new low-loss dielectrics to improve both the achievable spectral resolution and optical efficiency and development of a robust fabrication process to create a galvanic connection between ultra-pure superconducting thin-films to realize multi-material (hybrid) leKIDs. We provide an overview of the spectrometer design, fabrication process, and prototype devices.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

The Rest-Frame Submillimeter Spectrum of High Redshift, Dusty, Star-Forming Galaxies from the SPT-SZ Survey

We present the average rest-frame spectrum of the final catalog of dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) selected from the South Pole Telescope SZ survey (SPT-SZ) and measured with Band 3 of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). This work builds on the previous average rest-frame spectrum, given in Spilker et al. (2014) for the first 22 sources, and is comprised of a total of 78 sources, normalized by their respective apparent dust masses. The spectrum spans $1.9$$<$z$<$$6.9$ and covers rest-frame frequencies of 240$-$800 GHz. Combining this data with low-J CO observations from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), we detect multiple bright line features from $^{12}$CO, $[$CI$]$, and H$_2$O, as well as fainter molecular transitions from $^{13}$CO, HCN, HCO$^+$, HNC, CN, H$_2$O$^+$, and CH. We use these detections, along with limits from other molecules, to characterize the typical properties of the interstellar medium (ISM) for these high redshift DSFGs. We are able to divide the large sample into subsets in order to explore how the average spectrum changes with various galaxy properties, such as effective dust temperature. We find that systems with hotter dust temperatures exhibit differences in the bright $^{12}$CO emission lines, and contain either warmer and more excited dense gas tracers, or larger dense gas reservoirs. These observations will serve as a reference point to studies of the ISM in distant luminous DSFGs (L$_{\mathrm{IR}}$$>$$10^{12}$L$_\odot$), and will inform studies of chemical evolution before the peak epoch of star formation at $z=2-3$.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

CMB/kSZ and Compton-$y$ Maps from 2500 square degrees of SPT-SZ and Planck Survey Data

We present component-separated maps of the primary cosmic microwave background/kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) amplitude and the thermal SZ Compton-$y$ parameter, created using data from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) and the Planck satellite. These maps, which cover the $\sim$2500 square degrees of the Southern sky imaged by the SPT-SZ survey, represent a significant improvement over previous such products available in this region by virtue of their higher angular resolution (1.25 arcminutes for our highest resolution Compton-$y$ maps) and lower noise at small angular scales. In this work we detail the construction of these maps using linear combination techniques, including our method for limiting the correlation of our lowest-noise Compton-$y$ map products with the cosmic infrared background. We perform a range of validation tests on these data products to test our sky modeling and combination algorithms, and we find good performance in all of these tests. Recognizing the potential utility of these data products for a wide range of astrophysical and cosmological analyses, including studies of the gas properties of galaxies, groups, and clusters, we make these products publicly available at http://pole.uchicago.edu/public/data/sptsz_ymap and on the NASA/LAMBDA website.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

SPT-SLIM: A Line Intensity Mapping Pathfinder for the South Pole Telescope

The South Pole Telescope Summertime Line Intensity Mapper (SPT-SLIM) is a pathfinder experiment that will demonstrate the use of on-chip filter-bank spectrometers for mm-wave line intensity mapping (LIM). The SPT-SLIM focal plane consists of 18 dual-polarization R=300 filter-bank spectrometers covering 120-180 GHz, coupled to aluminum kinetic inductance detectors. A compact cryostat holds the detectors at 100 mK and performs observations without removing the SPT-3G receiver. SPT-SLIM will be deployed to the 10-m South Pole Telescope for observations during the 2023-24 austral summer. We discuss the overall instrument design, expected detector performance and sensitivity to the LIM signal from CO at 0.5 < z < 2. The technology and observational techniques demonstrated by SPT-SLIM will enable next-generation LIM experiments that constrain cosmology beyond the redshift reach of galaxy surveys.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2021

Detection of Galactic and Extragalactic Millimeter-Wavelength Transient Sources with SPT-3G

High-angular-resolution cosmic microwave background experiments provide a unique opportunity to conduct a survey of time-variable sources at millimeter wavelengths, a population which has primarily been understood through follow-up measurements of detections in other bands. Here we report the first results of an astronomical transient survey with the South Pole Telescope (SPT) using the SPT-3G camera to observe 1500 square degrees of the southern sky. The observations took place from March to November 2020 in three bands centered at 95, 150, and 220 GHz. This survey yielded the detection of fifteen transient events from sources not previously detected by the SPT. The majority are associated with variable stars of different types, expanding the number of such detected flares by more than a factor of two. The stellar flares are unpolarized and bright, in some cases exceeding 1 Jy, and have durations from a few minutes to several hours. Another population of detected events last for 2--3 weeks and appear to be extragalactic in origin. Though data availability at other wavelengths is limited, we find evidence for concurrent optical activity for two of the stellar flares. Future data from SPT-3G and forthcoming instruments will provide real-time detection of millimeter-wave transients on timescales of minutes to months.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Persistent Non-Gaussian Structure in the Image of Sagittarius A* at 86 GHz

Observations of the Galactic Center supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) with very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) are affected by interstellar scattering along our line of sight. At long radio observing wavelengths ($\gtrsim1\,$cm), the scattering heavily dominates image morphology. At 3.5 mm (86 GHz), the intrinsic source structure is no longer sub-dominant to scattering, and thus the intrinsic emission from Sgr A* is resolvable with the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (GMVA). Long-baseline detections to the phased Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in 2017 provided new constraints on the intrinsic and scattering properties of Sgr A*, but the stochastic nature of the scattering requires multiple observing epochs to reliably estimate its statistical properties. We present new observations with the GMVA+ALMA, taken in 2018, which confirm non-Gaussian structure in the scattered image seen in 2017. In particular, the ALMA-GBT baseline shows more flux density than expected for an anistropic Gaussian model, providing a tight constraint on the source size and an upper limit on the dissipation scale of interstellar turbulence. We find an intrinsic source extent along the minor axis of $\sim100\,μ$as both via extrapolation of longer wavelength scattering constraints and direct modeling of the 3.5 mm observations. Simultaneously fitting for the scattering parameters, we find an at-most modestly asymmetrical (major-to-minor axis ratio of $1.5\pm 0.2$) intrinsic source morphology for Sgr A*.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Optical and near-infrared observations of the SPT2349-56 proto-cluster core at z = 4.3

We present Gemini-S and {\it Spitzer}-IRAC optical-through-near-IR observations in the field of the SPT2349-56 proto-cluster at $z=4.3$. We detect optical/IR counterparts for only nine of the 14 submillimetre galaxies (SMGs) previously identified by ALMA in the core of SPT2349-56. In addition, we detect four $z\sim4$ Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) in the 30 arcsec diameter region surrounding this proto-cluster core. Three of the four LBGs are new systems, while one appears to be a counterpart of one of the nine observed SMGs. We identify a candidate brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) with a stellar mass of $(3.2^{+2.5}_{-1.4})\times10^{11}\,{\rm M}_{\odot}$. The stellar masses of the eight other SMGs place them on, above, and below the main sequence of star formation at $z\approx4.5$. The cumulative stellar mass for the SPT2349-56 core is at least $(11.5\pm2.9)\times10^{11}\,{\rm M}_{\odot}$, a sizeable fraction of the stellar mass in local BCGs, and close to the universal baryon fraction (0.16) relative to the virial mass of the core ($10^{13}\,{\rm M}_{\odot}$). As all 14 of these SMGs are destined to quickly merge, we conclude that the proto-cluster core has already developed a significant stellar mass at this early stage, comparable to $z=1$ BCGs. Importantly, we also find that the SPT2349-56 core structure would be difficult to uncover in optical surveys, with none of the ALMA sources being easily identifiable or constrained through $g,r,$ and $i$ colour-selection in deep optical surveys and only a modest overdensity of LBGs over the extended core structure. SPT2349-56 therefore represents a truly dust-obscured phase of a massive cluster core under formation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

The Complete Redshift Distribution of Dusty Star-forming Galaxies from the SPT-SZ Survey

The South Pole Telescope (SPT) has systematically identified 81 high-redshift, strongly gravitationally lensed, dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) in a 2500 square degree cosmological mm-wave survey. We present the final spectroscopic redshift survey of this flux-limited ($S_{870\, \mathrm{μm}} > 25\, \mathrm{mJy}$) sample, initially selected at $1.4$ mm. The redshift survey was conducted with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array across the $3$ mm spectral window, targeting carbon monoxide line emission. By combining these measurements with ancillary data, the SPT sample is now spectroscopically complete, with redshifts spanning $1.9$$<$$z$$<$$6.9$ and a median of $z=3.9 \pm 0.2$. We present the mm through far-infrared photometry and spectral energy density fits for all sources, along with their inferred intrinsic properties. Comparing the properties of the SPT sources to the unlensed DSFG population, we demonstrate that the SPT-selected DSFGs represent the most extreme infrared-luminous galaxies, even after accounting for strong gravitational lensing. The SPT sources have a median star formation rate of $2.3(2)\times 10^3\, \mathrm{M_\odot yr^{-1}}$ and a median dust mass of $1.4(1)\times10^9\, \mathrm{M_\odot}$. However, the inferred gas depletion timescales of the SPT sources are comparable to those of unlensed DSFGs, once redshift is taken into account. This SPT sample contains roughly half of the known spectroscopically confirmed DSFGs at $z$$>$$5$, making this the largest sample of high-redshift DSFGs to-date, and enabling the "high-redshift tail" of extremely luminous DSFGs to be measured. Though galaxy formation models struggle to account for the SPT redshift distribution, the larger sample statistics from this complete and well-defined survey will help inform future theoretical efforts.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Overdensities of Submillimetre-Bright Sources around Candidate Protocluster Cores Selected from the South Pole Telescope Survey

We present APEX-LABOCA 870 micron observations of the fields surrounding the nine brightest, high-redshift, unlensed objects discovered in the South Pole Telescope's (SPT) 2500 square degrees survey. Initially seen as point sources by SPT's 1-arcmin beam, the 19-arcsec resolution of our new data enables us to deblend these objects and search for submillimetre (submm) sources in the surrounding fields. We find a total of 98 sources above a threshold of 3.7 sigma in the observed area of 1300 square arcminutes, where the bright central cores resolve into multiple components. After applying a radial cut to our LABOCA sources to achieve uniform sensitivity and angular size across each of the nine fields, we compute the cumulative and differential number counts and compare them to estimates of the background, finding a significant overdensity of approximately 10 at 14 mJy. The large overdensities of bright submm sources surrounding these fields suggest that they could be candidate protoclusters undergoing massive star-formation events. Photometric and spectroscopic redshifts of the unlensed central objects range from 3 to 7, implying a volume density of star-forming protoclusters of approximately 0.1 per giga-parsec cube. If the surrounding submm sources in these fields are at the same redshifts as the central objects, then the total star-formation rates of these candidate protoclusters reach 10,000 solar masses per year, making them much more active at these redshifts than what has been seen so far in both simulations and observations.

astro-ph.CO↗