2013/06/19 by Benjamin A. Mazin, B. A. Mazin, S. R. Meeker +21 · 173 citations
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Computer science #Cosmic microwave background #Detector #Large format #Near-infrared spectroscopy #Noise (video) #Optics #Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Pixel #Spectral line #Spectrograph #Superconducting and THz Device Technology #Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies #astro-ph.IM
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/674013
published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 125(933), 1348-1361 (Institute of Physics) · 12 pages, 16 figures, submitted to PASP
arxiv created 2013/06/19 · openalex publication_date 2013/10/16 · arxiv updated 2015/06/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We present the design, construction, and commissioning results of ARCONS, the Array Camera for Optical to Near-IR Spectrophotometry. ARCONS is the first ground-based instrument in the optical through near-IR wavelength range based on microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs). MKIDs are revolutionary cryogenic detectors, capable of detecting single photons and measuring their energy without filters or gratings, similar to an X-ray microcalorimeter. MKIDs are nearly ideal, noiseless photon detectors, as they do not suffer from read noise or dark current and have nearly perfect cosmic ray rejection. ARCONS is an integral field spectrograph (IFS) containing a lens-coupled 2024 pixel MKID array yielding a 20'' × 20'' field of view and has been deployed on the Palomar 200 inch and Lick 120 inch telescopes for 24 nights of observing. We present initial results showing that ARCONS and its MKID arrays are now a fully operational and powerful tool for astronomical observations.