The Simons Observatory: The Large Aperture Telescope Receiver (LATR) integration and validation results

Zhilei Xu, Tanay Bhandarkar, Gabriele Coppi, Anna M. Kofman, John L. Orlowski-Scherer, Ningfeng Zhu, Aamir M. Ali, Kam Arnold, Jason E. Austermann, Steve K. Choi, Jake Connors, Nicholas F. Cothard, Mark Devlin, Simon Dicker, Bradley Dober, Shannon M. Duff, Giulio Fabbian, Nicholas Galitzki, Saianeesh K. Haridas, Kathleen HarringtonErin Healy, Shuay Pwu Patty Ho, Johannes Hubmayr, Jeffrey Iuliano, Jack Lashner, Yaqiong Li, Michele Limon, Brian J. Koopman, Heather McCarrick, Jenna Moore, Federico Nati, Michael D. Niemack, Christian L. Reichardt, Karen Perez Sarmiento, Joseph Seibert, Maximiliano Silva-Feaver, Rita F. Sonka, Suzanne Staggs, Robert J. Thornton, Eve M. Vavagiakis, Michael R. Vissers, Samantha Walker, Yuhan Wang, Edward J. Wollack, Kaiwen Zheng

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Simons Observatory (SO) will observe the cosmic microwave background (CMB) from Cerro Toco in the Atacama Desert of Chile. The observatory consists of three 0.5m Small Aperture Telescopes (SATs) and one 6m Large Aperture Telescope (LAT), covering six frequency bands centering around 30, 40, 90, 150, 230, and 280 GHz. The SO observations will transform our understanding of our universe by characterizing the properties of the early universe, measuring the number of relativistic species and the mass of neutrinos, improving our understanding of galaxy evolution, and constraining the properties of cosmic reionization.1 As a critical instrument, the Large Aperture Telescope Receiver (LATR) is designed to cool ∼60,000 transition-edge sensors (TES)2 to <100mK on a 1.7m diameter focal plane. The unprecedented scale of the LATR drives a complex design.3-5 In this paper, We will first provide an overview of the LATR design. Integration and validation of the LATR design is discussed in detail, including mechanical strength, optical alignment, and cryogenic performance of the five cryogenic stages (80 K, 40 K, 4 K, 1 K, and 100 mK). We will also discuss the microwave-multiplexing (μMux) readout system implemented in the LATR and demonstrate operation of dark, prototype TES bolometers. The μMux readout technology enables one coaxial loop to read out Ο(103) TES detectors. Its implementation within the LATR serves as a critical validation for the complex RF chain design. The successful validation of the LATR performance is not only a critical milestone within the Simons Observatory, it also provides a valuable reference for other experiments, e.g. CCAT-prime6 and CMB-S4.7,

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationMillimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy X
EditorsJonas Zmuidzinas, Jian-Rong Gao
PublisherSPIE
ISBN (Electronic)9781510636934
DOIs
StatePublished - 2020
EventMillimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy X 2020 - Virtual, Online, United States
Duration: Dec 14 2020Dec 22 2020

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume11453
ISSN (Print)0277-786X
ISSN (Electronic)1996-756X

Conference

ConferenceMillimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy X 2020
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityVirtual, Online
Period12/14/2012/22/20

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Keywords

  • Astronomical Instrumentation
  • Cosmic Microwave Background
  • Cryogenic Technology
  • Observa-tional Cosmology

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