Paper 13103-11
Paper 13103-11
Experimental Demonstration Of Photon Counting With Kinetic Inductance Detectors At Mid-Infrared Wavelengths
16 June 2024 • 13:40 - 14:00 Japan Standard Time | Room G213, North - 2F
Abstract
One of the major goals of modern astronomy is the atmospheric characterization of small exoplanets to learn about their diversity, habitability and ultimately, whether they harbor life. The Large Interferometer For Exoplanets initiative aims to perform atmospheric characterization of these planets in the mid-infrared (MIR) wavelength regime (4-18.5 micron). Extremely sensitive and highly efficient detectors are required to detect the faint signal from these small exoplanets. Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) are a promising candidate as they are able to count single photons with no readout noise or dark current. In this work we experimentally show that KIDs are able to do photon counting at 4 wavelengths between 3.8 and 24 micron. We also compare the performance of two KID designs to investigate what design would be optimal across the MIR band.
Presenter
Wilbert G. Ras
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research (Netherlands), Technische Univ. Delft (Netherlands)
Wilbert obtained his master's degree in applied physics at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. In February 2023 he started his PhD in the field of Experimental Astronomy both at SRON - the Netherlands Institute for Space Research - as well as the Terahertz Sensing group at the Delft University of Technology. His research is focused on developing highly sensitive and efficient Kinetic Inductance Detectors for the optical to mid-infrared regime.