Legacy

ARCONS

The first astronomical instrument built with optical/UV MKIDs — a 2,024-pixel camera for the Palomar and Lick telescopes.

Overview

ARCONS was the first astronomical instrument built with optical/UV Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors. We constructed a 44×46 pixel MKID camera for the Coudé focus of the Palomar 200" Hale Telescope and the Lick 120" Shane Telescope. With 34 observing nights completed, ARCONS demonstrated that UVOIR MKIDs could deliver real science results from major observatories.

The instrument operated from 0.38–1.1 µm, providing simultaneous spectral and temporal resolution unavailable from conventional CCD cameras. Each photon’s energy and arrival time were recorded individually, enabling new observational modes for time-variable and spectrally complex sources.

Palomar 200-inch Hale Telescope dome
The Palomar 200" Hale Telescope dome, home of the ARCONS instrument.
ARCONS cryostat mounted at the Coudé focus
The ARCONS cryostat and optics mounted at the Coudé focus of the Palomar 200" telescope.

Science Highlights

SDSS J0926+3624 — Orbital Expansion of an AM CVn Binary

ARCONS was used to directly detect the orbital period expansion of the ultra-compact binary SDSS J0926+3624, demonstrating the instrument’s ability to perform high-precision time-resolved spectrophotometry.

P. Szypryt, G.E. Duggan, B.A. Mazin, S.R. Meeker, M.J. Strader, J.C. van Eyken, D. Marsden, K. O’Brien, A.B. Walter, G. Ulbricht, T.A. Prince, C. Stoughton, and B. Bumble. Direct Detection of SDSS J0926+3624 Orbital Expansion with ARCONS. MNRAS, 439, 3 (2014).

Crab Giant Pulses — Energy-Resolved Optical Pulsar Timing

ARCONS detected giant pulses from the Crab Pulsar with simultaneous spectral resolution, revealing excess optical enhancement associated with early giant pulses.

M.J. Strader, M.D. Johnson, B.A. Mazin, G.V. Spiro Jaeger, C.R. Gwinn, S.R. Meeker, P. Szypryt, J.C. van Eyken, D. Marsden, K. O’Brien, A.B. Walter, G. Ulbricht, C. Stoughton, B. Bumble. Excess Optical Enhancement Observed with ARCONS for Early Crab Giant Pulses. ApJL 779, L12 (2013).

PSR J0337+1715 — Search for Optical Pulsations

ARCONS was used to search for optical pulsations in the millisecond pulsar PSR J0337+1715, a neutron star in a triple system with two white dwarf companions.

M.J. Strader, A.M. Archibald, S.R. Meeker, P. Szypryt, A.B. Walter, J.C. van Eyken, G. Ulbricht, C. Stoughton, B. Bumble, D.L. Kaplan, and B.A. Mazin. Search for optical pulsations in PSR J0337+1715. MNRAS, 459, 1, 427 (2016).

Funding

Special thanks to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for funding that made ARCONS possible.