Astrophysics & Detectors

In astrophysics, microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKID’s) and transition-edge sensors (TES) offer many advantages over conventional CCD technology, such as broad wavelength coverage and single-photon detection limits, as well as high energy and time resolution. 

Both MKID and TES devices allow for a high degree of multiplexing by coupling them to microwave-frequency resonators. This allows up to a thousand detector pixels to be read out using a microwave transmission measurement involving a single MKID cable. Such detector arrays are presently being scaled up to tens of thousands of pixels to allow for high-resolution imaging.

As these detector chips are usually mounted at the bottom of a telescope, they require custom-built cryostats which are limited in space and cooling power. Taking note of the current trends in scaling up such detector arrays, there is a need for compact and easy to install microwave cabling for MKID which also imposes a minimum heat load.