JRA 3 : Emerging fast detectors - Opticon

JRA 3 : Emerging fast detectors

Previous paradigm shifts in detector technology have driven
science advances
   – late 19th century eye to photographic plate
   – 1980s photographic plates to CCDs
   – also some relatively niche areas - PMTs, APDs …

Emerging Detectors
  – Microwave Kinetic Induction devices (MKID) - energy
    sensitive detectors are now a feasible rather than
    experimental technology leading to new science and new
    industrial capabilities
 – NIR APD arrays - e.g. Saphira type arrays - fast low noise
    detectors mainly used as wavefront sensors but not yet fully
    demonstrated as science detectors

JRA 3 : Emerging Fast Detectors : NUIG and Durham

Main objective to determine the science potential of two
emerging NIR fast detectors
   – HgCdTe e-APDs (e.g. Saphira) currently primarily used
     for wavefront sensing and fringe tracking, to examine their
     stability, timing, photometric reliability and linearity
   – MKIDs to examine their polarisation and stability
The work being carried out in both Durham and ESO using
test equipment developed in Galway.
Secondary aim is to review potential science with both classes
of detector

Project Overview

• Characterisation of both eAPD and MKID technology for
  science observations
  – Durham : Stability, Sensitivity, Noise [MKID]
  – Galway : Polarisation Characteristics [MKID]
  – Galway : Timing Characteristics [MKID/eAPD]
  – Galway : Stability and Noise Environment [eAPD]
  – Galway/Durham/HTRA network : Science cases for MKIDs
    and eAPD arrays including workshop

Avalanche Photodiode (APD), Optima, Iqueye
single pixel, tmin ~ ns, or arrays, eAPDs tmin ~ ms
Single Pixel devices
Optima : Straubmeier et al, 2001, Exp. Ast, 11, 15
Iqueye : Naletto et al, 2009, A&A, 508, 531
Arrays
Saphira arrays : Finger et al, 2014, SPIE, 9148, 17
used in (e.g.) Gravity

                           Fast - potentially low noise set
                                   by dark current
                          SAPHIRA detector initially for
                          wave-front sensing with sub-
                          electron read noise

Microwave Kinetic Induction Detectors MKIDs, tmin ~ few ns
ARCONS : Mazin et al, 2013, PASP, 125, 1348

Lumped element pixels

Kieran O'Brien, ELT Speed and Sensitivity, Galway, 14 May 2014

Lumped element pixels

Kieran O'Brien, ELT Speed and Sensitivity, Galway, 14 May 2014

Lumped element pixels

Kieran O'Brien, ELT Speed and Sensitivity, Galway, 14 May 2014

Existing and forthcoming Instruments using MKIDs and eAPDs

Saphira / eAPD systems - wave front sensing or fringe tracking e.g.
• Gravity: Abuter et al, 2017, A&A, 602, 94
• CHARA interferometer with Saphira arrays
   • MYSTIC: Michigan Young STar Imager at CHARA, Monnier et al, 2018, SPIE, 10701, 22
   • Astronomical interferometry with near-IR e-APD at CHARA: characterization, optimization and
     on-sky operation, 2018, SPIE, 10709, 14
• Ardeas - near IR fast polarimeter proposed for GTC
MKIDs
• ARCONS :
   • ARCONS: A 2024 Pixel Optical through Near-IR Cryogenic Imaging Spectrophotometer, Mazin
     et al, 2013, PASP, 125, 1348
   • Excess Optical Enhancement Observed with ARCONS for Early Crab Giant Pulses, Strader et al,
     2013, ApJ, 779, 12
• Need wider acceptance and array sizes are getting bigger (20k)

MKID vs eAPD

                              eAPD             MKID

           Camera           e.g. Rapid         Arcons
            Pixels           320 x 255        200 x 50
          Pixel size           24μm        223μm (lenslet)

         Read Noise         0.2 e-/frame         0

     Energy Resolution, R        1            ~10-100

           Timing              ~ms              ~μs

Both emerging technologies - need full characterisation
    including operation, data handling and stability

JRA 3 : Emerging Fast Detectors : NUIG work todate

                                                 Output Polarisation
                                                 Linear ~ 0.479 +/- 0.005%
       Stable light source and Polarisation State Generator –
       work to date
       1. Optical Design : March 2017
       2. Optical Bench tests : June 2017 - March 2018
       3. Post Doc Recruitment : November 2017
       4. Post-doc interview April 2018
       5. Post-doc start July 2018
       6. NIR Design : July 2018
       7. NIR PSG Construction Started : Q4 2018

Ardeas : son of Circe on GTC : Saphira array as a science detector
       : fast NIR 2-D polarimeter

                     Application to Irish Research Council
                     • based on University of Florida design
                     • NUIG redesign with Saphira array and
                       different optics IQU or IQV
                     • uses Saphira as a science detector
                     • possible role for WP5 in building
                     • if funded due to start in Q4 2019
                     • collaborators IAC, Florida and Sheffield

JRA3 - Emerging Fast Detectors: Durham
Durham:
1. PDRA effort at Oxford (~5months, S. Mahashabde) spent;
    – building spectral calibration unit for use with testing, includes a
      number of laser diodes feeding an integrating sphere. Coupled via
      a fiber to the cold stage of the cryostat
    – Debugging system to diagnose problem with cryostat. Each
      cooldown takes 1 week with cool     down, test and warm up cycle.
                                      ∂
    – Preparing system for lab relocation to Durham
    – Project presentation at Dublin Workshop
2. Additional time (not charged) spent;
    – Reinstalling lab in Durham
    – Testing and debugging ADR issue
    – Preparing to resume testing

JRA 3 : Emerging Fast Detectors : NUIG

NUI Galway : Issues and problems
1. Delay in appointing post-doc due to internal legal issues and lack of
    applicants. Delay mitigated to some extent using summer internships
2. Irish funding issues, now resolved
NUI Galway : Future work
1. Fast Detector Science Report December 2018
2. NIR Prototype Bench Tests February 2019
3. Optical NIR PSG Construction March 2019
4. ESO Visit- Q3 2019 : eAPD tests
5. ESO data analysis and report : Q4 2019
6. Durham MKID and Saphira tests : Q4 2019
7. December 2019 : provisional date for fast detector workshop – science and
   technology - with WP14?

No budget problems all within budget.

JRA3 - Emerging Fast Detectors: Durham (Oxford)
Durham: Issues and problems
1. Problem with ADR – base temperature observed to be limited to ~200mK.
    Hence, we could not achieve 80mK temperature required for operation of
    the MKID.
2. Current ADR system is one developed with MSSL for a previous project.
    Moved from Oxford to Durham, but issue was already discovered during
    testing in Oxford.
3. Issue diagnosed as damaged Salt pill (one of the 2 elements that enable
    the ADR to reach mK temperatures). ∂ Pill has been removed and a new
    one being grown. Could take further 4-5 months.
Durham: Future work
1. Fix ADR, or purchase replacement system if funds available (6 months,
   matched funding in place)
2. Integrate detector and data-acquisition system (both already in hand, 3
   months). PDRA not currently on grant, but available when needed.
3. Perform tests and write report

Deliverables

Expected Deliverables

borrowed from Wayne’s talk yesterday

Deliverables, revised timetable

• Three reports
  – Technological Limitations and Science Goals of
    • review of existing emerging detectors December 2018
    • eAPD arrays test results Q4 2019
    • MKIDs Q2 2020

• Workshops : Q4 2019
  – Modelled on Galway workshop in 2014 bringing together
    instrument designers and astronomers.
  – Linked to WP14 and others
• MKID technology bridges the gap between Radionet and
  Opticon? A future JRA?