For about 25 years, IPAG, LPSC, Institut Néel and IRAM have collaborated on leading projects in millimetric astronomy and cosmology. Our expertise in operating telescopes, cryogenics, nanotechnologies, electronics and data analysis have enabled us to carry out successful projects on ground (Diabolo, NIKA and NIKA2), on balloon (Archeops) and satellite (Planck).
Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KID) are a new and promising technology based on the inductance variation of a supra conductor when it is irradiated by photons. While we already have two instruments currently scanning the sky with arrays of 2,000 KIDs, NIKA2 (IRAM 30m telescope, Pico Veleta, Spain) and Concerto (APEX, ESO, Chili), we are now able to build arrays of 8,000 of them.
Such resonators and their electronics are not only relevant for astronomy but also for operating Qubits and to progress toward quantum computing.
KIDs are embedded in complex cryogenic instruments. Our expertise is also on designing and building such instruments, their associated optics components and electronics, and to develop the end to end data analysis chain.