6 research outputs found
Optical and Near-IR Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) in the 2020s
Optical and near-IR Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors, or MKIDs, are
superconducting photon counting detectors capable of measuring the energy and
arrival time of individual OIR photons without read noise or dark current. In
this whitepaper we will discuss the current status of OIR MKIDs and MKID-based
instruments.Comment: Astro2020 APC Whitepaper. 16 pages, 10 figure
DARKNESS: A Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector Integral Field Spectrograph for High-Contrast Astronomy
We present DARKNESS (the DARK-speckle Near-infrared Energy-resolving
Superconducting Spectrophotometer), the first of several planned integral field
spectrographs to use optical/near-infrared Microwave Kinetic Inductance
Detectors (MKIDs) for high-contrast imaging. The photon counting and
simultaneous low-resolution spectroscopy provided by MKIDs will enable
real-time speckle control techniques and post-processing speckle suppression at
framerates capable of resolving the atmospheric speckles that currently limit
high-contrast imaging from the ground. DARKNESS is now operational behind the
PALM-3000 extreme adaptive optics system and the Stellar Double Coronagraph at
Palomar Observatory. Here we describe the motivation, design, and
characterization of the instrument, early on-sky results, and future prospects.Comment: 17 pages, 17 figures. PASP Publishe
The MKID Exoplanet Camera for Subaru SCExAO
We present the MKID Exoplanet Camera (MEC), a z through J band (800 - 1400
nm) integral field spectrograph located behind The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme
Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) at the Subaru Telescope on Maunakea that utilizes
Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) as the enabling technology for
high contrast imaging. MEC is the first permanently deployed near-infrared MKID
instrument and is designed to operate both as an IFU, and as a focal plane
wavefront sensor in a multi-kHz feedback loop with SCExAO. The read noise free,
fast time domain information attainable by MKIDs allows for the direct probing
of fast speckle fluctuations that currently limit the performance of most high
contrast imaging systems on the ground and will help MEC achieve its ultimate
goal of reaching contrasts of at 2. Here we outline the
instrument details of MEC including the hardware, firmware, and data reduction
and analysis pipeline. We then discuss MEC's current on-sky performance and end
with future upgrades and plans.Comment: To be published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the
Pacifi
SCExAO and Keck Direct Imaging Discovery of a Low-mass Companion Around the Accelerating F5 Star HIP 5319
International audienceWe present the direct imaging discovery of a low-mass companion to the nearby accelerating F star, HIP 5319, using SCExAO coupled with the CHARIS, VAMPIRES, and MEC instruments in addition to Keck/NIRC2 imaging. CHARIS JHK (1.1-2.4 μm) spectroscopic data combined with VAMPIRES 750 nm, MEC Y, and NIRC2 L p photometry is best matched by an M3-M7 object with an effective temperature of T = 3200 K and surface gravity log(g) = 5.5. Using the relative astrometry for HIP 5319 B from CHARIS and NIRC2, and absolute astrometry for the primary from Gaia and Hipparcos, and adopting a log-normal prior assumption for the companion mass, we measure a dynamical mass for HIP 5319 B of , a semimajor axis of au, an inclination of degrees, and an eccentricity of . However, using an alternate prior for our dynamical model yields a much higher mass of . Using data taken with the LCOGT NRES instrument we also show that the primary HIP 5319 A is a single star in contrast to previous characterizations of the system as a spectroscopic binary. This work underscores the importance of assumed priors in dynamical models for companions detected with imaging and astrometry, and the need to have an updated inventory of system measurements. *Based in part on data collected at Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation. This work makes use of observations from the Las Cumbres Observatory global telescope network (LCOGT)