116 research outputs found
High angular resolution Sunyaev-Zel'dovich observations of MACS J1423.8+2404 with NIKA: Multiwavelength analysis
The prototype of the NIKA2 camera, NIKA, is an instrument operating at the
IRAM 30-m telescope, which can observe simultaneously at 150 and 260GHz. One of
the main goals of NIKA2 is to measure the pressure distribution in galaxy
clusters at high resolution using the thermal SZ (tSZ) effect. Such
observations have already proved to be an excellent probe of cluster pressure
distributions even at high redshifts. However, an important fraction of
clusters host submm and/or radio point sources, which can significantly affect
the reconstructed signal. Here we report on <20" resolution observations at 150
and 260GHz of the cluster MACSJ1424, which hosts both radio and submm point
sources. We examine the morphology of the tSZ signal and compare it to other
datasets. The NIKA data are combined with Herschel satellite data to study the
SED of the submm point source contaminants. We then perform a joint
reconstruction of the intracluster medium (ICM) electronic pressure and density
by combining NIKA, Planck, XMM-Newton, and Chandra data, focusing on the impact
of the radio and submm sources on the reconstructed pressure profile. We find
that large-scale pressure distribution is unaffected by the point sources
because of the resolved nature of the NIKA observations. The reconstructed
pressure in the inner region is slightly higher when the contribution of point
sources are removed. We show that it is not possible to set strong constraints
on the central pressure distribution without accurately removing these
contaminants. The comparison with X-ray only data shows good agreement for the
pressure, temperature, and entropy profiles, which all indicate that MACSJ1424
is a dynamically relaxed cool core system. The present observations illustrate
the possibility of measuring these quantities with a relatively small
integration time, even at high redshift and without X-ray spectroscopy.Comment: 15 pages, 17 figures, submitted to A&
The NIKA instrument: results and perspectives towards a permanent KID based camera for the Pico Veleta observatory
The New IRAM KIDs Array (NIKA) is a pathfinder instrument devoted to
millimetric astronomy. In 2009 it was the first multiplexed KID camera on the
sky; currently it is installed at the focal plane of the IRAM 30-meters
telescope at Pico Veleta (Spain). We present preliminary data from the last
observational run and the ongoing developments devoted to the next NIKA-2
kilopixels camera, to be commissioned in 2015. We also report on the latest
laboratory measurements, and recent improvements in detector cosmetics and
read-out electronics. Furthermore, we describe a new acquisition strategy
allowing us to improve the photometric accuracy, and the related automatic
tuning procedure.Comment: 24th International Symposium on Space Terahertz Technology, ISSTT
2013, April 8 to 10, 2013, Groningen, the Netherland
The NIKA2 instrument, a dual-band kilopixel KID array for millimetric astronomy
NIKA2 (New IRAM KID Array 2) is a camera dedicated to millimeter wave
astronomy based upon kilopixel arrays of Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KID).
The pathfinder instrument, NIKA, has already shown state-of-the-art detector
performance. NIKA2 builds upon this experience but goes one step further,
increasing the total pixel count by a factor 10 while maintaining the
same per pixel performance. For the next decade, this camera will be the
resident photometric instrument of the Institut de Radio Astronomie
Millimetrique (IRAM) 30m telescope in Sierra Nevada (Spain). In this paper we
give an overview of the main components of NIKA2, and describe the achieved
detector performance. The camera has been permanently installed at the IRAM 30m
telescope in October 2015. It will be made accessible to the scientific
community at the end of 2016, after a one-year commissioning period. When this
happens, NIKA2 will become a fundamental tool for astronomers worldwide.Comment: Proceedings of the 16th Low Temperature Detectors workshop. To be
published in the Journal of Low Temperature Physics. 8 pages, 4 figures, 1
tabl
Latest NIKA results and the NIKA-2 project
NIKA (New IRAM KID Arrays) is a dual-band imaging instrument installed at the
IRAM (Institut de RadioAstronomie Millimetrique) 30-meter telescope at Pico
Veleta (Spain). Two distinct Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KID) focal planes
allow the camera to simultaneously image a field-of-view of about 2 arc-min in
the bands 125 to 175 GHz (150 GHz) and 200 to 280 GHz (240 GHz). The
sensitivity and stability achieved during the last commissioning Run in June
2013 allows opening the instrument to general observers. We report here the
latest results, in particular in terms of sensitivity, now comparable to the
state-of-the-art Transition Edge Sensors (TES) bolometers, relative and
absolute photometry. We describe briefly the next generation NIKA-2 instrument,
selected by IRAM to occupy, from 2015, the continuum imager/polarimeter slot at
the 30-m telescope.Comment: Proceedings of Low Temperature Detectors 15 (LTD-15), Pasadena, June
201
Detection of the tSZ effect with the NIKA camera
We present the first detection of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (tSZ) effect
from a cluster of galaxies performed with a KIDs (Kinetic Inductance Detectors)
based instrument. The tSZ effect is a distortion of the black body CMB (Cosmic
Microwave Background) spectrum produced by the inverse Compton interaction of
CMB photons with the hot electrons of the ionized intra-cluster medium. The
massive, intermediate redshift cluster RX J1347.5-1145 has been observed using
NIKA (New IRAM KIDs arrays), a dual-band (140 and 240 GHz) mm-wave imaging
camera, which exploits two arrays of hundreds of KIDs: the resonant frequencies
of the superconducting resonators are shifted by mm-wave photons absorption.
This tSZ cluster observation demonstrates the potential of the next generation
NIKA2 instrument, being developed for the 30m telescope of IRAM, at Pico Veleta
(Spain). NIKA2 will have 1000 detectors at 140GHz and 2x2000 detectors at
240GHz, providing in that band also a measurement of the linear polarization.
NIKA2 will be commissioned in 2015.Comment: SF2A Proceedings 201
High resolution SZ observations at the IRAM 30-m telescope with NIKA
High resolution observations of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (tSZ) effect
are necessary to allow the use of clusters of galaxies as a probe for large
scale structures at high redshifts. With its high resolution and dual-band
capability at millimeter wavelengths, the NIKA camera can play a significant
role in this context. NIKA is based on newly developed Kinetic Inductance
Detectors (KIDs) and operates at the IRAM 30m telescope, Pico Veleta, Spain. In
this paper, we give the status of the NIKA camera, focussing on the KID
technology. We then present observations of three galaxy clusters: RX
J1347.5-1145 as a demonstrator of the NIKA capabilities and the recent
observations of CL J1226.9+3332 (z = 0.89) and MACS J0717.5+3745 (z = 0.55). We
also discuss prospects for the final NIKA2 camera, which will have a 6.5
arcminute field of view with about 5000 detectors in two bands at 150 and 260
GHz
First polarised light with the NIKA camera
NIKA is a dual-band camera operating with 315 frequency multiplexed LEKIDs
cooled at 100 mK. NIKA is designed to observe the sky in intensity and
polarisation at 150 and 260 GHz from the IRAM 30-m telescope. It is a
test-bench for the final NIKA2 camera. The incoming linear polarisation is
modulated at four times the mechanical rotation frequency by a warm rotating
multi-layer Half Wave Plate. Then, the signal is analysed by a wire grid and
finally absorbed by the LEKIDs. The small time constant (< 1ms ) of the LEKID
detectors combined with the modulation of the HWP enables the
quasi-simultaneous measurement of the three Stokes parameters I, Q, U,
representing linear polarisation. In this paper we present results of recent
observational campaigns demonstrating the good performance of NIKA in detecting
polarisation at mm wavelength.Comment: 7 pages, Proceeding for Journal of Low Temperature Physic
A compact fission detector for fission-tagging neutron capture experiments with radioactive fissile isotopes
In the measurement of neutron capture cross-sections of fissile isotopes, the fission channel is a source of background which can be removed efficiently using the so-called fission-tagging or fission-veto technique. For this purpose a new compact and fast fission chamber has been developed. The design criteria and technical description of the chamber are given within the context of a measurement of the 233U(n,y) cross-section at the n_TOF facility at CERN, where it was coupled to the n_TOF Total Absorption Calorimeter. For this measurement the fission detector was optimized for time resolution, minimization of material in the neutron beam and for alpha-fission discrimination. The performance of the fission chamber and its application as a fission tagging detector are discussed.This work was partially supported by the French NEEDS/NACRE Project and by the European Commission within HORIZON2020 via the EURATOM Project EUFRAT
Fission cross section measurements for 240Pu, 242Pu
This report comprises the deliverable 1.5 of the ANDES project (EURATOM contract FP7-249671) of Task 3 "High accuracy measurements for fission" of Work Package 1 entitled "Measurements for advanced reactor systems". This deliverables provide evidence of a successful completion of the objectives of Task 3.JRC.D.4-Standards for Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguard
Performance and calibration of the NIKA camera at the IRAM 30 m telescope
The New IRAM KID Array (NIKA) instrument is a dual-band imaging camera
operating with Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KID) cooled at 100 mK. NIKA is
designed to observe the sky at wavelengths of 1.25 and 2.14 mm from the IRAM 30
m telescope at Pico Veleta with an estimated resolution of 13\,arcsec and 18
arcsec, respectively. This work presents the performance of the NIKA camera
prior to its opening to the astrophysical community as an IRAM common-user
facility in early 2014. NIKA is a test bench for the final NIKA2 instrument to
be installed at the end of 2015. The last NIKA observation campaigns on
November 2012 and June 2013 have been used to evaluate this performance and to
improve the control of systematic effects. We discuss here the dynamical tuning
of the readout electronics to optimize the KID working point with respect to
background changes and the new technique of atmospheric absorption correction.
These modifications significantly improve the overall linearity, sensitivity,
and absolute calibration performance of NIKA. This is proved on observations of
point-like sources for which we obtain a best sensitivity (averaged over all
valid detectors) of 40 and 14 mJy.s for optimal weather conditions for
the 1.25 and 2.14 mm arrays, respectively. NIKA observations of well known
extended sources (DR21 complex and the Horsehead nebula) are presented. This
performance makes the NIKA camera a competitive astrophysical instrument
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