A new paradigm for submillimeter kilo-pixel spectro-imaging with Superconducting On-chip Fourier Transform Spectrometers

Recent developments in thin-film superconductors allow realizing broad-band ultra-compact all-electronic interferometers on-chip. These Superconducting On-chip Fourier Transform Spectrometers (SOFTS) easily achieve GHz resolution over a broad range from 20 GHz-800 GHz, with < cm² on-chip footprints. This presentation will review (i) SOFTS device design and capabilities, with the aim of performing spectroscopy per imaging pixel in kilopixel submillimeter focal planes. (ii) And application of SOFTS for spectral-distortion measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB-SD). Cosmological CMB-SD allows us to probe early universe physics up to redshifts of 10⁶, and such measurements will be profound as observational cosmology is largely limited to redshifts below 1100. Additionally, targeted CMB-SD studies of hot gas in galaxy clusters with the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect allow us to understand cluster cosmology and astrophysics. These are both major science targets for ESA’s Voyage 2050 themes, and this talk will address how the SOFTS technology can enable the pursuit of these science topics.