The Simons Observatory (SO) will be a CMB survey experiment with three small-aperture telescopes and one large-aperture telescope (the LAT), which will observe from the Atacama Desert in Chile. In total, SO will field over 60,000 TES bolometers in six spectral bands centered between 27 and 280 GHz. The 6 m LAT, targeting the smaller angular scales of the CMB, utilizes a cryogenic receiver (LATR) designed to house up to 13 individual optics tubes. The scientific objectives of the SO project requires these optics tubes to achieve high-throughput optical performance while maintaining exquisite control of systematic effects. We describe the integration and testing program for the LATR optics tubes being carried out to verify the design and assembly of the tubes before deployment. The program includes a quick turn-around single tube test cryostat. We discuss the optical design specifications the tubes for deployment and the suite of optical test equipment prepared for these measurements.
The Simons Observatory (SO) will be a cosmic microwave background (CMB) survey experiment with three small-aperture telescopes (SATs) and one large-aperture telescope (LAT), which will observe from the Atacama Desert in Chile. In total, SO will field over 60,000 transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers in six spectral bands centered between 27 and 280 GHz in order to achieve the sensitivity necessary to measure or constrain numerous cosmological quantities. The SATs are optimized for a primordial gravitational wave signal in a parity odd polarization power spectrum at a large angular scale. We will present the latest status of the SAT development.
KEYWORDS: Observatories, Data acquisition, Telescopes, Microwave radiation, Control systems design, Control systems, Sensors, Bolometers, Optical instrument design, Distributed computing
The Simons Observatory (SO) will be a cosmic microwave background (CMB) survey
experiment with three small-aperture telescopes and one large-aperture
telescope, which will observe from the Atacama Desert in Chile. In total, SO
will field over 60,000 transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers in six spectral
bands centered between 27 and 280 GHz in order to achieve the sensitivity
necessary to measure or constrain numerous cosmological quantities, as outlined
in The Simons Observatory Collaboration et al. (2019). To achieve these goals
we have built an open-sourced platform, called OCS (Observatory Control
System), which orchestrates distributed hardware systems. We provide an
overview of the SO software and computer infrastructure.
The Simons Observatory (SO) is a cosmic microwave background (CMB) survey experiment with three small-aperture telescopes and one large-aperture telescope, which will observe from the Atacama Desert in Chile. In total, SO will field over 60,000 transition edge sensor (TES) bolometers in six spectral bands centered between 27 and 280 GHz in order to achieve the sensitivity necessary to measure or constrain numerous cosmological quantities, as outlined in The Simons Observatory Collaboration et al. (2019). To verify consistency of fabrication and performance in line with our sensitivity requirements, we will perform in-lab optical tests on isolated SO detectors as well as full detector arrays. The tests include beam measurements, bandpass measurements, and polarization measurements, among others. Here, we will describe the development of a cryogenic testbed that enables optical characterization of SO's detectors. We include the infrared filtering strategy to allow suitable cryogenic performance, design and implementation of the test equipment used in characterization, and the preliminary results from our validation of the testbed's cryo-optical performance.
The Simons Observatory is a suite of instruments sensitive to temperature and polarization of the cosmic microwave background. Five telescopes will host over 60,000 highly multiplexed transition edge sensor (TES) detectors. The universal focal plane modules (UFMs) package multichroic TES detectors with microwave multiplexing electronics compatible with all five receivers. The low-frequency arrays are lenslet-coupled sinuous antennas sensitive to 30 and 40 GHz. The mid-frequency and ultra-high-frequency UFMs are horn-coupled orthomode transducer arrays sensitive to 90/150 GHz and 225/280 GHz, respectively. Here we present the design, assembly details, and initial results of the first UFM.
The Simons Observatory (SO) will observe the cosmic microwave background (CMB) from Cerro Toco in the Atacama Desert of Chile. The observatory consists of three 0.5m Small Aperture Telescopes (SATs) and one 6m Large Aperture Telescope (LAT), covering six frequency bands centering around 30, 40, 90, 150, 230, and 280 GHz. The SO observations will transform our understanding of our universe by characterizing the properties of the early universe, measuring the number of relativistic species and the mass of neutrinos, improving our understanding of galaxy evolution, and constraining the properties of cosmic reionization.1 As a critical instrument, the Large Aperture Telescope Receiver (LATR) is designed to cool ~60,000 transition-edge sensors (TES)2 to <100mK on a 1.7m diameter focal plane. The unprecedented scale of the LATR drives a complex design.3-5 In this paper, We will first provide an overview of the LATR design. Integration and validation of the LATR design is discussed in detail, including mechanical strength, optical alignment, and cryogenic performance of the five cryogenic stages (80 K, 40 K, 4 K, 1 K, and 100 mK). We will also discuss the microwave- multiplexing (μMux) readout system implemented in the LATR and demonstrate operation of dark, prototype TES bolometers. The μMux readout technology enables one coaxial loop to read out Ο(103) TES detectors. Its implementation within the LATR serves as a critical validation for the complex RF chain design. The successful validation of the LATR performance is not only a critical milestone within the Simons Observatory, it also provides a valuable reference for other experiments, e.g. CCAT-prime6 and CMB-S4.7, 8
The Simons Observatory (SO) will perform ground-based observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) with several small and large aperture telescopes, each outfitted with thousands to tens of thousands of superconducting aluminum manganese (AlMn) transition-edge sensor bolometers (TESs). In-situ characterization of TES responsivities and effective time constants will be required multiple times each observing-day for calibrating time-streams during CMB map-making. Effective time constants are typically estimated in the field by briefly applying small amplitude square-waves on top of the TES DC biases, and fitting exponential decays in the bolometer response. These so-called “bias step" measurements can be rapidly implemented across entire arrays and therefore are attractive because they take up little observing time. However, individual detector complex impedance measurements, while too slow to implement during observations, can provide a fuller picture of the TES model and a better understanding of its temporal response. Here, we present the results of dark TES characterization of many prototype SO bolometers and compare the effective thermal time constants measured via bias steps to those derived from complex impedance data.
The Simons Observatory (SO) will make precision temperature and polarization measurements of the cosmic
microwave background (CMB) using a series of telescopes which will cover angular scales between 1 arcminute
and tens of degrees, contain over 40,000 detectors, and sample frequencies between 27 and 270 GHz. SO will
consist of a six-meter-aperture telescope coupled to over 20,000 detectors along with an array of half-meter
aperture refractive cameras, coupled to an additional 20,000+ detectors. The unique combination of large and
small apertures in a single CMB observatory, which will be located in the Atacama Desert at an altitude of
5190 m, will allow us to sample a wide range of angular scales over a common survey area. SO will measure
fundamental cosmological parameters of our universe, find high redshift clusters via the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect,
constrain properties of neutrinos, and seek signatures of dark matter through gravitational lensing. The complex
set of technical and science requirements for this experiment has led to innovative instrumentation solutions
which we will discuss. The large aperture telescope will couple to a cryogenic receiver that is 2.4 m in diameter
and over 2 m long, creating a number of interesting technical challenges. Concurrently, we are designing an array
of half-meter-aperture cryogenic cameras which also have compelling design challenges. We will give an overview
of the drivers for and designs of the SO telescopes and the cryogenic cameras that will house the cold optical
components and detector arrays.
The Advanced Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter (AdvACT) is an upgraded instrument for the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, which uses transition-edge sensor (TES) detector arrays to measure cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization anisotropies in multiple frequency bands. We review the integration and characterization of the final polarimeter array, which is the low frequency (LF) array, consisting of 292 TES bolometers observing in two bands centered at 27 GHz and 39 GHz. This array is sensitive to synchrotron radiation from our galaxy as well as to the CMB, and complements the AdvACT arrays operating at 90, 150 and 230 GHz to provide robust detection and removal of foreground contamination. We present detector parameters for the LF array measured in the lab, including saturation powers, critical temperatures, thermal conductivities, time constants and optical efficiencies, and their uniformity across the entire wafer.
The Simons Observatory (SO) will make precision temperature and polarization measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) using a series of telescopes which will cover angular scales between one arcminute and tens of degrees and sample frequencies between 27 and 270 GHz. Here we present the current design of the large aperture telescope receiver (LATR), a 2.4m diameter cryostat that will be mounted on the SO 6m telescope and will be the largest CMB receiver to date. The cryostat size was chosen to take advantage of the large focal plane area having high Strehl ratios, which is inherent to the Cross-Dragone telescope design. The LATR will be able to accommodate thirteen optics tubes, each having a 36 cm diameter aperture and illuminating several thousand transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers. This set of equipment will provide an opportunity to make measurements with unparalleled sensitivity. However, the size and complexity of the LATR also pose numerous technical challenges. In the following paper, we present the design of the LATR and include how we address these challenges. The solutions we develop in the process of designing the LATR will be informative for the general CMB community, and for future CMB experiments like CMB-S4.
The Simons Observatory (SO) will measure the cosmic microwave background (CMB) in both temperature and polarization over a wide range of angular scales and frequencies from 27-270 GHz with unprecedented sensitivity. One technology for coupling light onto the ~50 detector wafers that SO will field is spline-profiled feedhorns, which offer tunability between coupling efficiency and control of beam polarization leakage effects. We will present efforts to scale up feedhorn production for SO and their viability for future CMB experiments, including direct-machining metal feedhorn arrays and laser machining stacked Si arrays.
In this proceeding, we present studies of instrumental systematic effects for the Simons Obsevatory (SO) that are associated with the detector system and its interaction with the full SO experimental systems. SO will measure the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropies over a wide range of angular scales in six bands with bandcenters spanning from 27 GHz to 270 GHz. We explore effects including intensity-to-polarization leakage due to coupling optics, bolometer nonlinearity, uncalibrated gain variations of bolometers, and readout crosstalk. We model the level of signal contamination, discuss proposed mitigation schemes, and present instrument requirements to inform the design of SO and future CMB projects.
The Simons Observatory will consist of a single large (6 m diameter) telescope and a number of smaller (∼0.5 m diameter) refracting telescopes designed to measure the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background to unprecedented accuracy. The large aperture telescope is the same design as the CCAT-prime telescope, a modified Crossed Dragone design with a field-of-view of over 7.8 degrees diameter at 90 GHz. This paper presents an overview of the cold reimaging optics for this telescope and what drove our choice of 350–400 mm diameter silicon lenses in a 2.4 m cryostat over other possibilities. We will also consider the future expandability of this design to CMB Stage-4 and beyond.
The Advanced Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter is an upgraded receiver for the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, which has begun making measurements of the small angular scale polarization anisotropies in the Cosmic Microwave Background using the first of four new multichroic superconducting detector arrays. Here, we review all details of the optimization and characterization of this first array, which features 2012 AlMn transition- edge sensor bolometers operating at 150 and 230 GHz. We present critical temperatures, thermal conductivities, saturation powers, time constants, and sensitivities for the array. The results show high uniformity across the 150 mm wafer and good performance in the field.
The Advanced ACTPol (AdvACT) upgrade to the Atacama Cosmology Telescope features large arrays of mul- tichroic pixels consisting of two orthogonal-polarization pairs of superconducting bolometers at two observing frequency bands. We present measurements of the detector properties and noise data in a subset of a fielded multichroic array of AlMn transition-edge sensor (TES) detectors. In this array, the distribution of critical temperature Tc across detectors appears uniform at the percent level. The measured noise-equivalent power (NEP) distributions over ∼1200 detectors are consistent with expectations. We find median NEPs of 4.0×10-17 √Hz for low-band detectors and 6.2x10-17√Hz for high-band detectors under covered-window telescope test conditions with optical loading comparable to observing with precipitable water vapor ∼ 0.5 mm. Lastly, we show the estimated detector optical efficiency, and demonstrate the ability to perform optical characterization over hundreds of detectors at once using a cryogenic blackbody source.
The Advanced ACTPol (AdvACT) upgrade on the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) consists of multichroic
Transition Edge Sensor (TES) detector arrays to measure the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarization
anisotropies in multiple frequency bands. The first AdvACT detector array, sensitive to both 150 and 230 GHz, is
fabricated on a 150 mm diameter wafer and read out with a completely different scheme compared to ACTPol.
Approximately 2000 TES bolometers are packed into the wafer leading to both a much denser detector density and
readout circuitry. The demonstration of the assembly and integration of the AdvACT arrays is important for the next
generation CMB experiments, which will continue to increase the pixel number and density. We present the detailed
assembly process of the first AdvACT detector array.
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter (ACTPol) is a polarization sensitive upgrade to the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, located at an elevation of 5190 m on Cerro Toco in Chile. ACTPol uses transition edge sensor bolometers coupled to orthomode transducers to measure both the temperature and polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Calibration of the detector angles is a critical step in producing polarization maps of the CMB. Polarization angle offsets in the detector calibration can cause leakage in polarization from E to B modes and induce a spurious signal in the EB and TB cross correlations, which eliminates our ability to measure potential cosmological sources of EB and TB signals, such as cosmic birefringence. We calibrate the ACTPol detector angles by ray tracing the designed detector angle through the entire optical chain to determine the projection of each detector angle on the sky. The distribution of calibrated detector polarization angles are consistent with a global offset angle from zero when compared to the EB-nulling offset angle, the angle required to null the EB cross-correlation power spectrum. We present the optical modeling process. The detector angles can be cross checked through observations of known polarized sources, whether this be a galactic source or a laboratory reference standard. To cross check the ACTPol detector angles, we use a thin film polarization grid placed in front of the receiver of the telescope, between the receiver and the secondary reflector. Making use of a rapidly rotating half-wave plate (HWP) mount we spin the polarizing grid at a constant speed, polarizing and rotating the incoming atmospheric signal. The resulting sinusoidal signal is used to determine the detector angles.
The optical modeling calibration was shown to be consistent with a global offset angle of zero when compared to EB nulling in the first ACTPol results and will continue to be a part of our calibration implementation. The first array of detectors for Advanced ACTPol, the next generation upgrade to ACTPol, will be deployed in 2016. We plan to continue using both techniques and compare them to astrophysical source measurements for the Advanced ACTPol polarization calibration.
The next generation Advanced ACTPol (AdvACT) experiment is currently underway and will consist of four Transition Edge Sensor (TES) bolometer arrays, with three operating together, totaling ~ 5800 detectors on the sky. Building on experience gained with the ACTPol detector arrays, AdvACT will utilize various new technologies, including 150 mm detector wafers equipped with multichroic pixels, allowing for a more densely packed focal plane. Each set of detectors includes a feedhorn array of stacked silicon wafers which form a spline profile leading to each pixel. This is then followed by a waveguide interface plate, detector wafer, back short cavity plate, and backshort cap. Each array is housed in a custom designed structure manufactured from high purity copper and then gold plated. In addition to the detector array assembly, the array package also encloses cryogenic readout electronics. We present the full mechanical design of the AdvACT high frequency (HF) detector array package along with a detailed look at the detector array stack assemblies. This experiment will also make use of extensive hardware and software previously developed for ACT, which will be modified to incorporate the new AdvACT instruments. Therefore, we discuss the integration of all AdvACT arrays with pre-existing ACTPol infrastructure.
Advanced ACTPol is an instrument upgrade for the six-meter Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) designed to
measure the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization with arcminute-scale angular
resolution. To achieve its science goals, Advanced ACTPol utilizes a larger readout multiplexing factor than any
previous CMB experiment to measure detector arrays with approximately two thousand transition-edge sensor
(TES) bolometers in each 150 mm detector wafer. We present the implementation and testing of the Advanced
ACTPol time-division multiplexing readout architecture with a 64-row multiplexing factor. This includes testing
of individual multichroic detector pixels and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) multiplexing
chips as well as testing and optimizing of the integrated readout electronics. In particular, we describe the new
automated multiplexing SQUID tuning procedure developed to select and optimize the thousands of SQUID
parameters required to readout each Advanced ACTPol array. The multichroic detector pixels in each array
use separate channels for each polarization and each of the two frequencies, such that four TESes must be read
out per pixel. Challenges addressed include doubling the number of detectors per multiplexed readout channel
compared to ACTPol and optimizing the Nyquist inductance to minimize detector and SQUID noise aliasing.
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope is a 6 meter diameter CMB telescope located at 5200 meters in the Chilean desert. ACT has made arc-minute scale maps of the sky at 90 and 150 GHz which have led to precise measurements of the fine angular power spectrum of the CMB fluctuations in temperature and polarization. One of the goals of ACT is to search for the B-mode polarization signal from primordial gravity waves, and thus extending ACT’s data analysis to larger angular scales. This goal introduces new challenges in the control of systematic effects, including better understanding of far sidelobe effects that might enter the power spectrum at degree angular scales. Here we study the effects of the gaps between panels of the ACT primary and secondary reflectors in the worst case scenario in which the gaps remain open. We produced numerical simulations of the optics using GRASP up to 8 degrees away from the main beam and simulated timestreams for observations with this beam using real pointing information from ACT data. Maps from these simulated timestreams showed leakage from the sidelobes, indicating that this effect must be taken into consideration at large angular scales.
Advanced ACTPol (AdvACT) is an upgraded camera for the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) that will measure the cosmic microwave background in temperature and polarization over a wide range of angular scales and five frequency bands from 28-230 GHz. AdvACT will employ four arrays of feedhorn-coupled, polarization- sensitive multichroic detectors. To accommodate the higher pixel packing densities necessary to achieve Ad- vACT’s sensitivity goals, we have developed and optimized wideband spline-profiled feedhorns for the AdvACT multichroic arrays that maximize coupling efficiency while carefully controlling polarization systematics. We present the design, fabrication, and testing of wideband spline-profiled feedhorns for the multichroic arrays of AdvACT.
F. De Bernardis, J. Stevens, M. Hasselfield, D. Alonso, J. R. Bond, E. Calabrese, S. Choi, K. Crowley, M. Devlin, J. Dunkley, P. Gallardo, S. Henderson, M. Hilton, R. Hlozek, S. P. Ho, K. Huffenberger, B. Koopman, A. Kosowsky, T. Louis, M. Madhavacheril, J. McMahon, S. Næss, F. Nati, L. Newburgh, M. Niemack, L. Page, M. Salatino, A. Schillaci, B. Schmitt, N. Sehgal, J. Sievers, S. Simon, D. Spergel, S. Staggs, A. van Engelen, E. Vavagiakis, E. Wollack
In recent years there have been significant improvements in the sensitivity and the angular resolution of the instruments dedicated to the observation of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). ACTPol is the first polarization receiver for the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and is observing the CMB sky with arcmin resolution over 2000 sq. deg. Its upgrade, Advanced ACTPol (AdvACT), will observe the CMB in five frequency bands and over a larger area of the sky. We describe the optimization and implementation of the ACTPol and AdvACT surveys. The selection of the observed fields is driven mainly by the science goals, that is, small angular scale CMB measurements, B-mode measurements and cross-correlation studies. For the ACTPol survey we have observed patches of the southern galactic sky with low galactic foreground emissions which were also chosen to maximize the overlap with several galaxy surveys to allow unique cross-correlation studies. A wider field in the northern galactic cap ensured significant additional overlap with the BOSS spectroscopic survey. The exact shapes and footprints of the fields were optimized to achieve uniform coverage and to obtain cross-linked maps by observing the fields with different scan directions. We have maximized the efficiency of the survey by implementing a close to 24 hour observing strategy, switching between daytime and nighttime observing plans and minimizing the telescope idle time. We describe the challenges represented by the survey optimization for the significantly wider area observed by AdvACT, which will observe roughly half of the low-foreground sky. The survey strategies described here may prove useful for planning future ground-based CMB surveys, such as the Simons Observatory and CMB Stage IV surveys.
The Atacama B-mode Search (ABS), which began observations in February of 2012, is a crossed-Dragone telescope located at an elevation of 5190 m in the Atacama Desert in Chile. ABS is searching for the B-mode polarization spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at large angular scales from multipole moments of ` ~ 50 ~ 500, a range that includes the primor- dial B-mode peak from inflationary gravity waves at ~ 100. The ABS focal plane consists of 240 pixels sensitive to 145 GHz, each containing two transition-edge sensor bolometers coupled to orthogonal polarizations with a planar ortho-mode transducer. An ambient-temperature con- tinuously rotating half-wave plate and 4 K optics make the ABS instrument unique. We discuss the characterization of the detector spectral responses with a Fourier transform spectrometer and demonstrate that the pointing model is adequate. We also present measurements of the beam from point sources and compare them with simulations.
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