MRI: Development of a Cryogenic Receiver for MKID Detector Arrays

The current established cosmological model for a theory of the Big Bang still leaves open a question how the entire observable Universe being spawned in a dramatic, exponential "inflation" from a sub-nuclear, microscopical volume to the current macro-scale volume of spacetime. The extraordinarily sensitive measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation (temperature and polarization of the mm/sub-mm sky) are traditionally associated with large CMB surveys, but the ultra-deep sky maps will play a vital role in exploiting the full power of new cosmological observables and provide groundbreaking constraints on the duration and timing of the Epoch of Reionization.

This award supports the design and construction of a 100 mK dilution refrigerator cryostat that will be used to develop and test prototype Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector (MKID) arrays, multiplexed readout, and low-loss optics. When this cryostat is outfitted with a full complement of detector arrays, readout, and optics, it will comprise a new camera with unique capabilities not provided by any existing or planned millimeter/submillimeter (mm/sub-mm) experiments.

Observations with this camera on the 10-meter South Pole Telescope (SPT) will lead to major advances in our quest to understand the evolution of the Universe and the underlying physics that governs its expansion. This proposal leverages significant investment in the production of prototype MKID arrays and readout and will benefit from the NSF's investments in the SPT construction and operation, thus enabling rapid deployment of this camera and realization of the groundbreaking new scientific program.

This work builds on the experience and scientific successes of the SPT team that which has fielded three cameras on the SPT and used the resulting data to produce world-leading studies of the early Universe.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.