New Cutting Edge Tool Gives Astronomers Clearer Glimpse into the Universe

As astronomers peer further and further into the universe, they rely on better and more precise instruments that allow them to make unprecedented observations. Now, researchers may have developed another tool that could allow scientists to get a better glimpse of galaxies. They've created a superconducting detector array that can measure the energy of individual photons.

"What we have made is essentially a hyperspectral video camera with no intrinsic noise," said Ben Mazin, one of the researchers, in a news release. "On a pixel-per-pixel basis, it's a quantum leap from semiconductor detectors; it's as big a leap going from film to semiconductors as it is going from semiconductors to these superconductors. This allows all kinds of really interesting instruments based on this technology."

Superconductivity is a quantum phenomenon that occurs as certain materials are cooled to near absolute zero. This eliminates all electrical resistance and magnetic fields. MKIDs, where are a type of superconducting photon detector and operate at cryogenic temperatures, allow astronomers to determine the energy and arrival time of individual photons.

Using MKIDs, the researchers developed the Array Camera for Optical to Near-infrared Spectrophotometry (ARCONS). This instrument can spot optical pulsars and high redshift galaxies. In fact, the instrument exponentially improves observing efficiency as compared to conventional filter-based multicolor observations.

"Forty years ago we were doing optical astronomy with photographic plates, which use light to change a chemical emulsion," said Mazin in a news release. "When we switched from photographic plates to the charge couple devices (CCDs) contained in today's electronics, per-pixel performance of the detectors went up by a factor of 20. In the last decade, CCDs and other semiconductor-based detectors for the optical and near-IR have started to hit fundamental limits in their per-pixel performance. They've gotten about as good as they can get in a given pixel. The way they continue to improve is by making huge pixel mosaics, which is appropriate for many but not all applications."

The new effort with this array has now increased capabilities. Currently, scientists hope to deploy MKID instruments in the next several years to make fascinating new observations and learn more about the planets and stars in our universe.

The findings are published in the journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.