Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    SciTechDaily
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Earth
    • Health
    • Physics
    • Science
    • Space
    • Technology
    Facebook X (Twitter) Pinterest YouTube RSS
    SciTechDaily
    Home»Technology»Superconducting Detectors Could Help Find Gravitational Waves and Extrasolar Planets
    Technology

    Superconducting Detectors Could Help Find Gravitational Waves and Extrasolar Planets

    By SciTechDailyJanuary 24, 2012No Comments2 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Telegram LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Telegram Email
    superconducting-telescope
    Microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs), which can simultaneously count photons, measure their energy, and record each one’s time of arrival, could eventually replace charge-coupled devices (CCDs) in telescopes.

    Microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs), which can simultaneously count photons, measure their energy, and record each one’s time of arrival, could eventually replace charge-coupled devices (CCDs) in telescopes. CCDs can only do this after the light is split with a prism or grating, a step that adds to the loss of photons.

    Ben Mazin, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Barbara, presented his research at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Austin, Texas. The first results from an array of 1,024 MKIDs that was installed at the 5.1-meter telescope at Palomar Observatory in California were significant, as they captured individual photons with microsecond precision from the Crab Nebula. CCDs have read-out times that are too slow for such precise measurements.

    microwave-kinetic-inductance-detectorOnce MKIDs are scaled into bigger arrays, they could be useful to search for gravitational waves and extrasolar planets. The drawback of MKIDs is that they need to be cooled down to 100 millikelvin, making them difficult to use in small spaces, satellites, or in spacecraft.

    MKIDs rely on resonating circuits made of superconducting materials, allowing electrons to move in Cooper pairs bound by low-temperature quantum effects. When a photon strikes the circuit, it breaks apart one of these Cooper pairs, shifting the resonant frequency of the circuit, which indicates an energy loss.

    The detectors were first invented by Jonas Smuidzinas, an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, and his colleagues in 2003 for use in X-ray astronomy. A 2,000-pixel array of MKIDs will be deployed this year at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory in Hawaii.

    MKIDs could also detect the tiny variations in radio signals from millisecond pulsars, proving the existence of gravitational waves. They could also be used in the direct detection of extrasolar planets, allowing telescopes to skip the step of shunting light through a separate detector in adaptive optics and measuring the distortions directly.

    Astronomy Microwave Kinectic Inductance Detector Superconduction Telescope University of California
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    Related Posts

    Engineers Begin Excavation on Giant Magellan Telescope Site

    Greenland Telescope Opens New Era of Astronomy

    First Mirror Segment for Extremely Large Telescope Successfully Cast

    Scientists Complete Primary Mirror for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope

    On-Site Construction Begins on the Giant Magellan Telescope

    The Creative Engineering Behind the Giant Magellan Telescope

    Construction to Begin on the Thirty Meter Telescope

    NASA’s Webb Telescope Edges Closer to Liftoff

    H.E.S.S. II Telescope Starts Operation and Detects Its Very First Images

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    Don't Miss a Discovery

    Subscribe for the Latest in Science & Tech!

    Trending News

    Could Perseverance’s Mars Samples Hold the Secret to Ancient Life?

    Giant Fossil Discovery in Namibia Challenges Long-Held Evolutionary Theories

    Is There Anybody Out There? The Hunt for Life in Cosmic Oceans

    Paleontological Surprise: New Research Indicates That T. rex Was Much Larger Than Previously Thought

    Photosynthesis-Free: Scientists Discover Remarkable Plant That Steals Nutrients To Survive

    A Waste of Money: New Study Reveals That CBD Is Ineffective for Pain Relief

    Two Mile Long X-Ray Laser Opens New Windows Into a Mysterious State of Matter

    650 Feet High: The Megatsunami That Rocked Greenland’s East Coast

    Follow SciTechDaily
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest
    • Newsletter
    • RSS
    SciTech News
    • Biology News
    • Chemistry News
    • Earth News
    • Health News
    • Physics News
    • Science News
    • Space News
    • Technology News
    Recent Posts
    • Mystery Solved: Scientists Discover Unique Evolutionary Branch of Snakes
    • Unlocking the Deep Past: New Study Maps the Dawn of Animal Life
    • Scientists Uncover How Cocaine Tricks the Brain Into Feeling Good – Breakthrough Could Lead to New Substance Abuse Treatments
    • Scientists Sound the Alarm: Record Ocean Heat Puts the Great Barrier Reef in Danger
    • New Study Unravels the Mystery of COVID’s Worst Pediatric Complication
    Copyright © 1998 - 2024 SciTechDaily. All Rights Reserved.
    • Latest News
    • Trending News
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.