Speakers
Description
Ultra-low readout noise detectors will enable increased sensitivity to high-density and high-redshift spectroscopic surveys to place tighter constraints on dark energy and dark matter (e.g., a Stage-5 Spectroscopic Survey). We present advances towardplans for demonstrating the performance of an ultra-low noise Skipper CCD focal plane prototype for the SOAR Integral Field Spectrograph (SIFS) for the first time. We show results from characterizing and optimizing eight Skipper CCDs for SIFS to achieve σ ~ 0.18 e− rms/pixel for 400 non-destructive readouts, dark current (DC) ~ 2 × 10^-4 e−/pixel/sec., charge transfer inefficiency (CTI) < 3.44 × 10^-7, full-well capacities between ~40,000 − 63,000 e− , and absolute quantum efficiency (QE) ≳ 80% between 450 nm and 980 nm and ≳ 90% between 600 nm and 900 nm. We outline the observation strategy intended to maximize signal-to-noise by optimizing readout time and tunable readout noise via the Skipper CCD’s capability to define a region of interest (~5% of the detector area) to be readout with < 0.7 e− rms/pixel while the rest of the detector is readout with the single-sample readout noise ( ~4.2 e− rms/pixel). Finally, we will offer an outlook on scientific improvements made possible by ultra-low noise detectors.
Keywords for your contribution subject matter (this will assist SOC in accurately characterizing your contribution)
Skipper CCDs, sub-electron noise, photon-counting detectors, spectroscopy
| contribution subject matter | CCD sensors |
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