8 research outputs found
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
The NIKA2 large-field-of-view millimetre continuum camera for the 30 m IRAM telescope
Context. Millimetre-wave continuum astronomy is today an indispensable tool for both general astrophysics studies (e.g. star formation, nearby galaxies) and cosmology (e.g. cosmic microwave background and high-redshift galaxies). General purpose, large-field-of-view instruments are needed to map the sky at intermediate angular scales not accessible by the high-resolution interferometers (e.g. ALMA in Chile, NOEMA in the French Alps) and by the coarse angular resolution space-borne or ground-based surveys (e.g. Planck, ACT, SPT). These instruments have to be installed at the focal plane of the largest single-dish telescopes, which are placed at high altitude on selected dry observing sites. In this context, we have constructed and deployed a three-thousand-pixel dual-band (150âGHz andâ260 GHz, respectively 2âmm and 1.15âmm wavelengths) camera to image an instantaneous circular field-of-view of 6.5âarcmin in diameter, and configurable to map the linear polarisation at 260âGHz.
Aims. First, we are providing a detailed description of this instrument, named NIKA2 (New IRAM KID Arrays 2), in particular focussing on the cryogenics, optics, focal plane arrays based on Kinetic Inductance Detectors, and the readout electronics. The focal planes and part of the optics are cooled down to the nominal 150âmK operating temperature by means of an adhoc dilution refrigerator. Secondly, we are presenting the performance measured on the sky during the commissioning runs that took place between October 2015 and April 2017 at the 30-m IRAM telescope at Pico Veleta, near Granada (Spain).
Methods. We have targeted a number of astronomical sources. Starting from beam-maps on primary and secondary calibrators we have then gone to extended sources and faint objects. Both internal (electronic) and on-the-sky calibrations are applied. The general methods are described in the present paper.
Results. NIKA2 has been successfully deployed and commissioned, performing in-line with expectations. In particular, NIKA2 exhibits full width at half maximum angular resolutions of around 11 and 17.5 arcsec at respectively 260 and 150âGHz. The noise equivalent flux densities are, at these two respective frequencies, 33±2 and 8±1 mJy s1/2. A first successful science verification run was achieved in April 2017. The instrument is currently offered to the astronomy community and will remain available for at least the following ten years
Laparoscopic Treatment of Morgagni-Larrey Hernia: Technical Details and Report of a Series
The NIKA2 Instrument at 30-m IRAM Telescope: Performance and Results
The New IRAM KID Arrays 2 (NIKA2) consortium has just finished installing and commissioning a millimetre camera on the IRAM 30-m telescope. It is a dual-band camera operating with three frequency-multiplexed kilo-pixels arrays of lumped element kinetic inductance detectors (LEKID) cooled at 150 mK, designed to observe the intensity and polarisation of the sky at 260 and 150 GHz (1.15 and 2 mm). NIKA2 is today an IRAM resident instrument for millimetre astronomy, such as intracluster medium from intermediate to distant clusters and so for the follow-up of Planck satellite detected clusters, high redshift sources and quasars, early stages of star formation and nearby galaxies emission. We present an overview of the instrument performance as it has been evaluated at the end of the commissioning phase