A THz Superconducting Imaging Array Developed for the DATE5 Telescope

Abstract

Dome A in Antarctica, located at an altitude of 4093 m and with very low temperature in winter down to - 83∘C, is an exceptionally dry site. Measurements of the atmospheric transmission in the range of 0.75–15 THz by a Far-infrared/THz Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) strongly suggest that Dome A is a unique site for ground-based THz observations, especially for the 200- and 350-micron windows. A 5-m THz telescope (DATE5) is therefore proposed for Chinese Antarctic Kunlun Observatory. We are currently developing a THz superconducting imaging array (TeSIA) for the DATE5. The TeSIA will be working at the 350-μ m window, with a pixel number of 32 × 32 and a sensitivity (NEP) of ∼ 10- 16 W/Hz0.5. Ti transition-edge sensors with time-domain multiplexing and TiN microwave kinetic inductance detectors with frequency-domain multiplexing are both developed for the TeSIA. In this paper, detailed system designs and some measurement results will be presented.