FIRST ASTRONOMICAL APPLICATION OF A CRYOGENIC TRANSITION EDGE SENSOR SPECTROPHOTOMETER

摘要

We report on the first astronomical observations with a photon-counting pixel detector that provides arrival time (#delta#t = 100 ns) and energy (#delta#Er ≤ 0.15 eV) resolved measurements from the near-IR through the near UV Our test observations were performed by coupling this transition edge sensor device to a 0.6 m telescope, we have obtained the first simultaneous optical near-IR phase-resolved spectra of the Crab pulsar A varying infrared turnover gives evidence of self-absorption in the pulsar plasma. The potential of such detectors in imaging arrays from a space platform is briefly described.