arXiv subjects

Tilak M. Patel

Publications and source records attributed to Tilak M. Patel.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

CCAT: The Prime-Cam Instrument for the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope -- Overview and Status

Prime-Cam is a first-generation science instrument for the CCAT Observatory's six-meter aperture Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST), under construction at an elevation of 5600 m on Cerro Chajnantor in Chile's Atacama Desert. Prime-Cam will deliver over ten times greater mapping speed at submillimeter wavelengths than current facilities for unprecedented broadband and spectroscopic measurements in windows between 1.4 -- 0.3 mm (220 -- 850 GHz). When fully populated, Prime-Cam will field over 100,000 kinetic inductance detectors across seven independently optimized instrument modules. With Prime-Cam, the CCAT Collaboration will address a suite of science goals, from Big Bang cosmology, to galaxy evolution and star formation over cosmic time. Prime-Cam is scheduled for integration in FYST in late 2026, followed by a year of early science observations with the 280 and 350 GHz instrument modules. We discuss the design and in-lab testing of the 1.8-m diameter Prime-Cam receiver and 280 GHz instrument module, and give an update on deployment status and early science plans.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

CCAT: Optical Design of the 410 GHz Prime-Cam Module

Prime-Cam is a first-generation instrument for the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST), enabling wide-field, multi-frequency observations for cosmology, line-intensity mapping, and galaxy studies. We present an optical performance study for a candidate 410 GHz broadband module designed to field approximately 21,000 polarisation-sensitive kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs). The three-lens silicon design was adapted from the SO LATR design and used for the existing 280 and 350 GHz Prime-Cam instrument modules, as well as this study. At 410 GHz, a shorter wavelength places tighter demands on wavefront quality and beam shape. Using Ansys Zemax OpticStudio and Huygens PSF analysis, we evaluate candidate module positions, compare 350 and 410 GHz performance, and assess field-dependent Strehl ratio, ellipticity, and encircled-energy behaviour. A preliminary tolerancing study, using inverse increment and Monte Carlo methods, tests sensitivity to selected alignment perturbations.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

CCAT: Design and Characterization of the 350 GHz Instrument Module

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.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

CCAT: The 410 GHz camera module for FYST - design and testing of the MKID focal plane

Prime-Cam, the primary first-light instrument for the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST) developed by the Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope (CCAT) Collaboration, will accommodate seven modules. Here we describe the off-central 410 GHz imager/polarimeter. The 410 GHz instrument is a camera module for CCAT funded by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, being developed as a collaboration between Dalhousie University, University of British Columbia (UBC), National Research Council (NRC) - Herzberg, and Duke University. With atmospheric loading in the 410 GHz window being significantly higher than at 350 GHz (but substantially lower than 850 GHz), we assess four MKID test devices with varying inductor volume for performance at 410 GHz. We propose a design for an array of ~6,700 horn-coupled TiN MKIDs optimized for use at 410 GHz, with a planned ~20,000 MKIDs over three arrays, exploring mapping speed versus detector number. We test the four MKID devices optically and assess optimal Qi/Qc and responsivity for the 410 GHz atmospheric window atop Cerro Chajnantor. The detectors will be designed in frequency to be efficiently readout with a second generation, two octave readout (based on the Xilinx RFSoC board), with over 4000 detectors per board.

astro-ph.IM↗