Thesis proposal Study and development of optical KID (Kinetic Inductance Detector) arrays for the AMINO project
Context:
The thesis topic is at the interface between instrumental research and astrophysics and call for a profile combining both specialized and cross-disciplinary skills. In this case, a sound knowledge of physics is essential. A good knowledge of the superconductivity is welcome, but not necessary. Good theoretical knowledge of electronics and RF measurements is required. Computer skills are also required, particularly in programming and software development.
Project description:
Thanks to their unrivalled performance, particularly in terms of sensitivity which can approach the quantum limit given by the photon noise, combined with their unique physical properties linked to the superconducting phenomena of the materials of which they are made, superconducting devices can deliver ultimate performance over a wide range of applications including high sensitivity detectors of electromagnetic radiation from the far infrared to X-rays and gamma rays for astronomy and astrophysics. In the early 2000s, a new type of high-performance detector called MKID (Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors), operating at very low temperatures (below 100 mK), was invented by research teams at Caltech and JPL-NASA (USA).
MKID is a inductance-capacitor oscillating circuit made from superconducting material. superconducting material. The arrival of photons causes a change in the characteristic frequency and the phase of the circuit. From this change, it is possible to detect the arrival of the photon, and, with a suitable calibration, to infer its energ. These detectors can be operated in photon-counting mode and open the possibility to perform spectrophotometry without inserting any dispersive element in the optical path. MKID frequency multiplexing enables the implementation of arrays comprising several thousand pixels, which can be read in parallel by a single reading line. Here, each pixel, or LC circuit, has its own resonant frequency. MKIDs are an innovative detection technology that will open up a wide range of applications in astronomy et astrophysics.
Since 2020, we have been developing at Paris Observatory the first instrument (SPIAKID) employing this technology [1]. It is a spectro-photo-imager that will be mainly dedicated to the observation and study of ultra-compact and ultra-faint galaxies in the Local Group. The instrument will use up to four MKID arrays, each with 20 000 pixels, arranged in a mosaic in the focal plane to achieve a field of view of several arcminutes across the sky.
However, current MKIDs show a low resolution power R = λ/Δλ of 4 [2]. This must be improved and increased to 20 at around 550 nm to meet the requirements of the new AMINO project (Advanced Multi-spectral Imaging using Novel wavefront sensors with Optical photon-counting detectors). This can be achieved by improving detector performance and implementing new signal processing algorithms. Led by Paris Observatory, AMINO will enable multispectral imaging using new wavefront analysers with MKIDS operating in photon counting mode. These new MKIDs will be designed for the detection and study of exoplanets.
The PhD student will be involved in the development of MKID detectors. Close interaction with the teams involved in the AMINO project is also necessary in order to properly define the algorithms required for data processing to improve detection performance. In this context, the PhD student will also be expected to familiarise themselves with the astrophysical context for which MKID sensors are being developed.
All these activities, at the interface between instrumental research and astrophysics, call for a profile combining both specialized and cross-disciplinary skills. In this case, a sound knowledge of physics is essential. A good knowledge of the superconductivity is welcome, but not necessary. Good theoretical knowledge of electronics and RF measurements is required. Computer skills are also required, particularly in programming and software development.
Application:
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