arXiv subjects

Simon Hempel-Costello

Publications and source records attributed to Simon Hempel-Costello.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

An Open Source RFSoC-based Readout Electronics System for Arrays of Kinetic Inductance Detectors and Superconducting Resonators

We present a novel readout electronics system for large arrays of superconducting electromagnetic resonators, such as kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs), based on a Radio Frequency System on Chip (RFSoC) architecture. Each channel in the readout system is designed for frequency division multiplexing of up to 1024 high quality factor resonances placed on a single microwave transmission line at unique frequencies within a 512 MHz bandwidth. We describe the design of the digital and analog signal processing chains for the implementation of a two-channel 2048-resonator system on the Xilinx ZCU111 RFSoC evaluation board in combination with a custom intermediate frequency (IF) system to convert the RFSoC band to higher frequencies up to 4 GHz. We also detail an associated software interface that provides a range of tools commonly utilized for characterizing KID resonators and for operating them as part of a photometric millimeter-wave imager. We additionally provide noise characterizations of the individual readout components, along with the complete readout system in isolation and in operation to readout KID resonators.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Low-Frequency Noise Performance of Microstrip-Coupled Lumped-Element Aluminum KIDs using Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Parallel-Plate Capacitors for NEW-MUSIC

We present measurements of the low-frequency noise of microstrip-coupled, lumped-element aluminum kinetic inductance detectors that use hydrogenated amorphous silicon parallel-plate capacitors (Al/a-Si:H MS-PPC-LEKIDs), which are under development for the Next-generation Extended Wavelength Multiband Submillimeter Inductance Camera (NEW-MUSIC). We show that, under dark conditions, these devices are generation recombination (GR) noise dominated down to 0.1 Hz and, under optical load, they are likely dominated by GR and photon noise down to tenths of a Hz and possibly lower, both in spite of the use of a-Si:H PPCs. Our measurements set limits on the low-frequency two-level-system (TLS) noise of the a-Si:H material that are consistent with higher frequency measurements in the 0.1-10 kHz regime. These results establish that our MS-PPC-LEKID design for NEW-MUSIC will be photon-noise-limited under a range of observing conditions and, more generally, that a-Si:H PPC-KIDs are a viable new detector technology for even low modulation-rate applications such as astronomy.

astro-ph.IM↗