Development of a Sub-Kelvin Testbed for Characterization of On-Chip Far-Infrared Integrated Spectrometers

Rochester Institute Of Tech, Rochester NY

Investigators

Abstract

The dust and gas between stars emits light with wavelengths much longer than we can see with our eyes. This light, called far-infrared (FIR) light, can teach us about the material in our galaxy when we divide the light into channels that correspond to the wavelengths where different molecules radiate. In this way, we can learn about how stars form, evolve, and die. The devices used to split FIR light into these channels, called spectrometers, are complicated and expensive. The next generation of telescopes will need smaller and less costly technologies to reach their science goals. This project could lead to a new type of spectrometer that could reduce their size and expense by a factor of 100 or more. In this program, the investigator will build and use a system to test prototype spectrometers, a crucial step in developing this technology. This investigation will also help train students, providing important opportunities for them to work hands-on with cutting-edge technology in the new field of Quantum Information Science. FIR observations probe both objects and processes that are often invisible at other wavelengths, as well as a rich set of atomic and molecular transition lines that are diagnostic of heating and cooling processes in interstellar material. Unfortunately, standard FIR spectral dispersion technologies are challenging and expensive to implement, particularly in the context of the large-format spectrophotometers that will be deployed on the next generation of telescopes. Recent advances in semiconductor fabrication offer the potential for new, integrated on-chip devices that use quasi-photonic methods to disperse and sense the light. This kind of technology offers large scalability, ease of manufacture, size, and performance advantages that would enable the instruments required to meet the demands of astrophysics over the next two decades. The investigator is involved in a multi-institution collaboration developing next-generation quasi-photonic FIR on-chip spectrometer technology, but a sub-Kelvin testbed to perform device characterization of these novel spectrometers is necessary to make progress. In this ATI program the testbed will be designed, fabricated, commissioned, and used to characterize prototype on-chip spectrometer devices. This award also supports a new institutional capability for students and faculty to perform sub-Kelvin cryogenic testing of photonic and quantum information technologies. These include augmenting the hands-on training in RIT's new Quantum Information Science and Technology degree track and providing a new experimental capability for students in RIT's nascent PhD in Physics program. 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.