The Prime-Cam science goals and forecasts are described in Aravena et al. 2023.
Prime-Cam Detector Technology
Prime-Cam uses arrays of kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs), superconducting inductor-capacitor (LC) resonators multiplexed in the frequency domain. Incoming photons break Cooper pairs in the inductive strips, altering quasiparticle density and kinetic inductance of the detectors. This increase in kinetic inductance shifts the resonant frequency, making it sensitive to the incident photon power. The resonant frequencies of KIDs are uniquely tuned during fabrication. Warm electronics transmit microwave tones and measure the amplitude and phase shifts modulated by changes in the resonators’ frequencies and quality factors due to incoming photons. This inherent frequency sensitivity enables KIDs to be naturally multiplexable, allowing thousands of KIDs with unique frequencies to be read out through a single microwave feedline. Several KID arrays have been fabricated and tested, with many more underway. More details about the Prime-Cam detector and readout technology are found in Sinclair et al. 2024, Aravena et al. 2022, Chapman et al. 2022, Choi et al. 2021, Duell et al. 2020, and other papers found in the link below.
