Superconducting Spectrometer Advances for CMB and Line-Intensity Astronomy

This research focuses on advances in the fabrication of on-chip superconducting integral field units (IFUs) for Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and Line-Intensity Astronomy. Studying the polarization and spectral distortion of the CMB in tandem with intensity fluctuations of the Cosmic Infrared Background (CIB) allows us to verify assumptions on cosmic inflation and investigate the dynamics and evolution of galaxy clusters. The on-chip superconducting spectrometer technology offers compact size and background-limited sensitivity, making it well-suited for fast and large area observations. However, current examples of this technology do not yet reach the requirements needed for large spectroscopic and polarimetric surveys of the CMB. The authors formulate several of these requirements and introduce novel on-chip components and fabrication techniques, including a cross-over to enable distinguishing signal polarization, optimized lithography to minimize signal loss, and deposition of a dielectric layer to lower the spectral resolution of microstrip filters. These advancements have culminated in the successful fabrication of a fourteen-spaxel IFU, representing a significant step towards meeting the requirements for future CMB surveys.

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