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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01b5644v91s
Title: Implementing a Novel Readout System for the Simons Observatory
Authors: Zheng, Kaiwen
Advisors: Staggs, Suzanne T.
Contributors: Physics Department
Keywords: CMB
Cosmology
Quantum detectors
Readout
SQUID
TES
Subjects: Physics
Astronomy
Quantum physics
Issue Date: 2024
Publisher: Princeton, NJ : Princeton University
Abstract: Measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) have been fundamental in establishing our current cosmological model. Detecting the subtle CMB anisotropies is key for unlocking further discoveries in areas ranging from cosmology to galaxy formation. The progress in CMB detection depends primarily on sensitivity. CMB instruments have already used highly sensitive superconducting detectors like the voltage-biased transition edge sensor (TES) bolometers. Given the irreducible photon noise of such detectors on the ground, the next step in enhancing sensitivity lies in increasing the number of detectors. The Simons Observatory (SO) is a novel ground-based CMB project that significantly increases the detector count to around 100,000. The surge in detector density is made possible through the microwave SQUID multiplexing ($\mu$mux) technology that reads out O(1000) detectors on a single transmission line. The SO focal planes mark the first large-scale application of the $\mu$mux readout circuit in CMB instruments. To further improve the packaging density, the SO developed a compact module called the universal focal-plane module (UFM) to efficiently combine the detector and readout components. This thesis covers the implementation of the $\mu$mux system within a UFM. It discusses the early design and optimization of the UFM to achieve its unprecedented detector density. Additionally, the work describes hardware solutions for a high-throughput testing system with capabilities that have not been demonstrated before in the field of CMB research. The thesis concludes with the in-lab characterization of the UFM focusing on the readout and multiplexing system, and a procedure to tackle the critical challenge of detector mapping.
URI: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01b5644v91s
Type of Material: Academic dissertations (Ph.D.)
Language: en
Appears in Collections:Physics

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