arXiv subjects

Stephen Yates

Publications and source records attributed to Stephen Yates.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Single Aperture Large Telescope for Universe Studies (SALTUS): Science Overview

The SALTUS Probe mission will provide a powerful far-infrared (far-IR) pointed space observatory to explore our cosmic origins and the possibility of life elsewhere. The observatory employs an innovative deployable 14-m aperture, with a sunshield that will radiatively cool the off-axis primary to <45K. This cooled primary reflector works in tandem with cryogenic coherent and incoherent instruments that span the 34 to 660 micron far-IR range at both high and moderate spectral resolutions.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

A MKID-readout based on a heterogeneous, closely coupled architecture

Within this proceeding, we introduce the U-Board platform, a versatile platform for signal generation, acquisition and processing, based on a heterogenous processing architecture. Based on this platform we present a readout for Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) for the A-MKID camera for APEX. In addition to the implementation of the readout on this heterogenous architecture, we also present a first comparison of the performance of the readout compared to the currently used readout of the A-MKID camera. Last but not least, we discuss how we plan to miniaturize the current prototype, which is based on commercial off the shelf components.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2021

TiEMPO: Open-source time-dependent end-to-end model for simulating ground-based submillimeter astronomical observations

The next technological breakthrough in millimeter-submillimeter astronomy is 3D imaging spectrometry with wide instantaneous spectral bandwidths and wide fields of view. The total optimization of the focal-plane instrument, the telescope, the observing strategy, and the signal-processing software must enable efficient removal of foreground emission from the Earth's atmosphere, which is time-dependent and highly nonlinear in frequency. Here we present TiEMPO: Time-Dependent End-to-End Model for Post-process Optimization of the DESHIMA Spectrometer. TiEMPO utilizes a dynamical model of the atmosphere and parametrized models of the astronomical source, the telescope, the instrument, and the detector. The output of TiEMPO is a time-stream of sky brightness temperature and detected power, which can be analyzed by standard signal-processing software. We first compare TiEMPO simulations with an on-sky measurement by the wideband DESHIMA spectrometer and find good agreement in the noise power spectral density and sensitivity. We then use TiEMPO to simulate the detection of a line emission spectrum of a high-redshift galaxy using the DESHIMA 2.0 spectrometer in development. The TiEMPO model is open source. Its modular and parametrized design enables users to adapt it to design and optimize the end-to-end performance of spectroscopic and photometric instruments on existing and future telescopes.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2015

Multiplexed Readout for 1000-pixel Arrays of Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors

Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) are the most attractive radiation detectors for far-infrared and sub-mm astronomy: They combine ultimate sensitivity with the possibility to create very large detector arrays, in excess of 10 000 pixels. This is possible by reading-out the arrays using RF frequency division multiplexing, which allows multiplexing ratios in excess of 1000 pixels per readout line. We describe a novel readout system for large arrays of MKIDs, operating in a 2 GHz band in the 4-8 GHz range. The readout, which is a combination of a digital front- and back-end and an analog up- and down-converter system, can read out up to 4000 detectors simultaneously with 1 kHz datarate. The system achieves a readout noise power spectral density of -98 dBc/Hz while reading 1000 carriers simultaneously, which scales linear with the number of carriers. We demonstrate that 4000 state-of-the-art Aluminium-NbTiN MKIDs can be read out without deteriorating their intrinsic performance.

astro-ph.IM↗