We present a highly frequency multiplexed readout for large-format superconducting detector arrays intended for use in the next generation of balloon-borne and space-based sub-millimeter and far-infrared missions. We will demonstrate this technology on the upcoming NASA Next Generation Balloon-borne Large Aperture Sub-millimeter Telescope (BLAST-TNG) to measure the polarized emission of Galactic dust at wavelengths of 250, 350 and 500 microns. The BLAST-TNG receiver incorporates the first arrays of Lumped Element Kinetic Inductance Detectors (LeKID) along with the first microwave multiplexing readout electronics to fly in a space-like environment and will significantly advance the TRL for these technologies. After the flight of BLAST-TNG, we will continue to improve the performance of the detectors and readout electronics for the next generation of balloon-borne instruments and for use in a future FIR Surveyor.
@article{arxiv.1611.05400,
title = {An Open Source, FPGA-based LeKID readout for BLAST-TNG: Pre-flight Results},
author = {Samuel Gordon and Bradley Dober and Adrian Sinclair and Samuel Rowe and Sean Bryan and Philip Mauskopf and Jason Austermann and Mark Devlin and Simon Dicker and Jiansong Gao and Gene C. Hilton and Johannes Hubmayr and Glenn Jones and Jeffrey Klein and Nathan P. Lourie and Christopher McKenney and Federico Nati and Juan D. Soler and Matthew Strader and Michael Vissers},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1611.05400},
year = {2017}
}