WSPEC: A Waveguide Filter Bank Spectrometer

TL;DR

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and testing of a novel waveguide filter bank spectrometer prototype for mm and submm-wave astronomy, demonstrating moderate resolution and multi-pixel capabilities.

Contribution

It introduces a new waveguide resonant cavity filter bank concept integrated with KID detectors for broadband spectrometry in astronomy.

Findings

Prototype operates in the 130-250 GHz band.

Achieved moderate spectral resolution (~100).

Demonstrated multi-pixel spectrometer feasibility.

Abstract

We have designed, fabricated, and measured a 5-channel prototype spectrometer pixel operating in the WR10 band to demonstrate a novel moderate-resolution (R=f/{\Delta}f~100), multi-pixel, broadband, spectrometer concept for mm and submm-wave astronomy. Our design implements a transmission line filter bank using waveguide resonant cavities as a series of narrow-band filters, each coupled to an aluminum kinetic inductance detector (KID). This technology has the potential to perform the next generation of spectroscopic observations needed to drastically improve our understanding of the epoch of reionization (EoR), star formation, and large-scale structure of the universe. We present our design concept, results from measurements on our prototype device, and the latest progress on our efforts to develop a 4-pixel demonstrator instrument operating in the 130-250 GHz band.