Optical STJ Observations of the Crab Pulsar

TL;DR

This paper presents the first astronomical observations using superconducting tunnel junction detectors, capturing optical data of the Crab pulsar with high temporal and spectral resolution, demonstrating the potential of STJ technology in astrophysics.

Contribution

First use of superconducting tunnel junction detectors for optical observations of an astronomical object, showcasing their photon counting and energy resolution capabilities.

Findings

Photon counting of Crab pulsar achieved with microsecond timing accuracy.

No significant color index variations observed with pulsar phase.

Demonstrated feasibility of STJ detectors for optical astronomy.

Abstract

We report the first observations of an astronomical object using a superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) device, a pixel detector with intrinsic energy resolution in the optical wavelength range. The Crab pulsar was observed using a 6 times 6 array of Tantalum STJs at the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope on La Palma. Each array element provides photon counting capability recording up to ~ 10^3 photons per pix per s with an arrival time accuracy of about 5 microsecond, and providing a wavelength resolution of about 100 nm. We derive a photometrically resolved light curve which, however, shows no significant colour index variations with pulsar phase.