Operational Optimization to Maximize Dynamic Range in EXCLAIM Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors

TL;DR

This paper discusses optimizing microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) for the EXCLAIM telescope, demonstrating that readout power tuning enhances their dynamic range for better sensitivity in high-altitude observations.

Contribution

It introduces a method of readout power optimization for MKIDs, improving their dynamic range specifically for the EXCLAIM experiment and broadly applicable to similar detectors.

Findings

Readout power optimization significantly improves MKID dynamic range.

Tone frequency tracking extends detector performance.

Optimized MKIDs achieve near-background-limited sensitivity.

Abstract

Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) are highly scalable detectors that have demonstrated nearly background-limited sensitivity in the far-infrared from high-altitude balloon-borne telescopes and space-like laboratory environments. In addition, the detectors have a rich design space with many optimizable parameters, allowing highly sensitive measurements over a wide dynamic range. For these reasons, MKIDs were chosen for the Experiment for Cryogenic Large-Aperture Intensity Mapping (EXCLAIM), a balloon-borne telescope targeting nearly background-limited performance in a high-altitude atmospheric environment from 420-540 GHz. We describe MKID optimization in the specific context of EXCLAIM and provide general results that apply to broader applications. Extending the established approach of tone frequency tracking, we show that readout power optimization enables significant, further improvement in dynamic range.