We are studying the properties of Niobium Silicon amorphous alloys as a candidate material for the fabrication of highly sensitive Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KID), optimized for very low optical loads. As in the case of other composite materials,
the NbSi properties can be changed by varying the relative amounts of its components. Using a NbSi film with T_c around 1 K we have been able to obtain the first NbSi resonators, observe an optical response and acquire a spectrum in the band 50 to 300 GHz. The data taken show that this material has very high kinetic inductance and normal state surface resistivity. These properties are ideal for the development of KID. More measurements are planned to further characterize the NbSi alloy and fully investigate its potential.
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.
In calorimetric neutrino mass experiments, where the shape of a beta decay spectrum has to be precisely measured, the understanding of the detector response function is a fundamental issue. In the MIBETA neutrino mass experiment, the X-ray lines meas
ured with external sources did not have Gaussian shapes, but exhibited a pronounced shoulder towards lower energies. If this shoulder were a general feature of the detector response function, it would distort the beta decay spectrum and thus mimic a non-zero neutrino mass. An investigation was performed to understand the origin of the shoulder and its potential influence on the beta spectrum. First, the peaks were fitted with an analytic function in order to determine quantitatively the amount of events contributing to the shoulder, also depending on the energy of the calibration X-rays. In a second step, Montecarlo simulations were performed to reproduce the experimental spectrum and to understand the origin of its shape. We conclude that at least part of the observed shoulder can be attributed to a surface effect.
Context. The Neel IRAM KIDs Array (NIKA) is a fully-integrated measurement system based on kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) currently being developed for millimeter wave astronomy. In a first technical run, NIKA was successfully tested in 2009 at
the Institute for Millimetric Radio Astronomy (IRAM) 30-meter telescope at Pico Veleta, Spain. This prototype consisted of a 27-42 pixel camera imaging at 150 GHz. Subsequently, an improved system has been developed and tested in October 2010 at the Pico Veleta telescope. The instrument upgrades included dual-band optics allowing simultaneous imaging at 150 GHz and 220 GHz, faster sampling electronics enabling synchronous measurement of up to 112 pixels per measurement band, improved single-pixel sensitivity, and the fabrication of a sky simulator to replicate conditions present at the telescope. Results. The new dual-band NIKA was successfully tested in October 2010, performing in-line with sky simulator predictions. Initially the sources targeted during the 2009 run were re-imaged, verifying the improved system performance. An optical NEP was then calculated to be around 2 dot 10-16 W/Hz1/2. This improvement in comparison with the 2009 run verifies that NIKA is approaching the target sensitivity for photon-noise limited ground-based detectors. Taking advantage of the larger arrays and increased sensitivity, a number of scientifically-relevant faint and extended objects were then imaged including the Galactic Center SgrB2(FIR1), the radio galaxy Cygnus A and the NGC1068 Seyfert galaxy. These targets were all observed simultaneously in the 150 GHz and 220 GHz atmospheric windows.
Current generation millimeter wavelength detectors suffer from scaling limits imposed by complex cryogenic readout electronics. To circumvent this it is imperative to investigate technologies that intrinsically incorporate strong multiplexing. One po
ssible solution is the kinetic inductance detector (KID). In order to assess the potential of this nascent technology, a prototype instrument optimized for the 2 mm atmospheric window was constructed. Known as the Neel IRAM KIDs Array (NIKA), it was recently tested at the Institute for Millimetric Radio Astronomy (IRAM) 30-meter telescope at Pico Veleta, Spain. The measurement resulted in the imaging of a number of sources, including planets, quasars, and galaxies. The images for Mars, radio star MWC349, quasar 3C345, and galaxy M87 are presented. From these results, the optical NEP was calculated to be around $1 times 10^{-15}$ W$ / $Hz$^{1/2}$. A factor of 10 improvement is expected to be readily feasible by improvements in the detector materials and reduction of performance-degrading spurious radiation.
