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Advanced Sensor and Measurement Technologies in Astronomy and Astrophysics
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Advanced Sensor and Measurement Technologies in Astronomy and Astrophysics

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2025 | Viewed by 3500

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Giuseppe Romeo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Interests: astronomy and astrophysics; measurement; sensors; electronic instrumentation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advanced sensors and measurement technologies have revolutionized the field of astronomy and astrophysics, enabling scientists to explore the cosmos with unprecedented detail and precision, and aiding in the observation, measurement, and understanding of celestial objects and phenomena.

This Special Issue therefore aims to highlight and put together research and/or review articles on advanced sensors and measurement technologies used in astronomy and astrophysics, including but not limited to the following:

  • Photon counting sensors (SiPMs);
  • Charge-coupled devices (CCDs);
  • CMOS sensors;
  • Photomultiplier tubes (PMTs);
  • Heterodyne receivers;
  • Bolometers;
  • Photodiodes and avalanche photodiodes (APDs);
  • Transition-edge sensors (TES);
  • Quantum sensors;
  • Time delay integration (TDI) sensors;
  • Advanced sensor data processing;
  • Remote sensing and space exploration;
  • Gravitational wave detection;
  • Radio wave detection;
  • Redshift measurements.

Dr. Giuseppe Romeo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sensors
  • space exploration
  • astronomy
  • astrophysics
  • cosmos

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 2065 KiB  
Article
Compact Spatial Heterodyne Spectrographs for Future Space-Based Observations: Instrument Modeling and Applications
by Ayan Sahoo, Joice Mathew, Andrew Battisti and Brad Tucker
Sensors 2024, 24(14), 4709; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24144709 - 20 Jul 2024
Viewed by 782
Abstract
High-resolution spectroscopy employing spatial heterodyne spectrographs (SHS) holds significant promise for forthcoming space missions, building upon its established track record in science applications. Notably, it offers exceptional performance and cost- effectiveness in the ultraviolet-visual (UV-Vis) region compared to contemporary instruments. SHS instruments provide [...] Read more.
High-resolution spectroscopy employing spatial heterodyne spectrographs (SHS) holds significant promise for forthcoming space missions, building upon its established track record in science applications. Notably, it offers exceptional performance and cost- effectiveness in the ultraviolet-visual (UV-Vis) region compared to contemporary instruments. SHS instruments provide high-resolution capabilities and substantially larger etendues than similar resolving power instruments. This study introduces a comprehensive Python-based SHS model integrated with a user-friendly web scraping interface for target star selection, parameter generation, and 2D interferogram creation. Our SHS model demonstrates double the resolving power of a grating spectrometer and a throughput comparable to a Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) but without moving parts, enhancing robustness for deployment in space. The interferogram processing algorithm includes flat-fielding, bias removal, apodization, and an inverse Fourier transform (IFT) for accurate spectrum retrieval. Despite bandwidth limitations due to resolving power constraints, SHS models excel in applications requiring high spectral resolution over narrow wavelength ranges, such as studying isotopic emission lines. The model provides optimization results and trade-offs for system parameters, ensuring precise spectral recovery with realistic signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values. SHS is versatile and effective for various scientific applications, including investigating atomic and molecular emissions from comets, planetary atmospheres, the Earth’s atmosphere, the Sun, and the interstellar medium (ISM). This research significantly contributes to expediting the development and deployment of SHS instruments, demonstrating their potential across numerous scientific domains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Sensor and Measurement Technologies in Astronomy and Astrophysics)
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11 pages, 10722 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Aging Effect on Ti/Au Bilayers for Transition-Edge Sensor (TES) Detectors
by Maria Gambelli, Matteo D’Andrea, Rita Asquini, Alessio Buzzin, Claudio Macculi, Guido Torrioli and Sara Cibella
Sensors 2024, 24(12), 3995; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24123995 - 20 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1045
Abstract
Transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeters are advanced cryogenic detectors that use a superconducting film for particle or photon detection. We are establishing a new production line for TES detectors to serve as cryogenic anticoincidence (i.e., veto) devices. These detectors are made with a superconducting [...] Read more.
Transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeters are advanced cryogenic detectors that use a superconducting film for particle or photon detection. We are establishing a new production line for TES detectors to serve as cryogenic anticoincidence (i.e., veto) devices. These detectors are made with a superconducting bilayer of titanium (Ti) and gold (Au) thin films deposited via electron beam evaporation in a high vacuum condition on a monocrystalline silicon substrate. In this work, we report on the development of such sensors, aiming to achieve stable sensing performance despite the effects of aging. For this purpose, patterned and non-patterned Ti/Au bilayer samples with varying geometries and thicknesses were fabricated using microfabrication technology. To characterize the detectors, we present and discuss initial results from repeated resistance–temperature (R–T) measurements over time, conducted on different samples, thereby augmenting existing literature data. Additionally, we present a discussion of the sensor’s degradation over time due to aging effects and test a potential remedy based on an easy annealing procedure. In our opinion, this work establishes the groundwork for our new TES detector production line. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Sensor and Measurement Technologies in Astronomy and Astrophysics)
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18 pages, 4258 KiB  
Article
Thermalization of Mesh Reinforced Ultra-Thin Al-Coated Plastic Films: A Parametric Study Applied to the Athena X-IFU Instrument
by Nicola Montinaro, Luisa Sciortino, Fabio D’Anca, Ugo Lo Cicero, Enrico Bozzo, Stéphane Paltani, Michela Todaro and Marco Barbera
Sensors 2024, 24(7), 2360; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24072360 - 8 Apr 2024
Viewed by 894
Abstract
The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) is one of the two focal plane detectors of Athena, a large-class high energy astrophysics space mission approved by ESA in the Cosmic Vision 2015–2025 Science Program. The X-IFU consists of a large array of transition edge [...] Read more.
The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) is one of the two focal plane detectors of Athena, a large-class high energy astrophysics space mission approved by ESA in the Cosmic Vision 2015–2025 Science Program. The X-IFU consists of a large array of transition edge sensor micro-calorimeters that operate at ~100 mK inside a sophisticated cryostat. To prevent molecular contamination and to minimize photon shot noise on the sensitive X-IFU cryogenic detector array, a set of thermal filters (THFs) operating at different temperatures are needed. Since contamination already occurs below 300 K, the outer and more exposed THF must be kept at a higher temperature. To meet the low energy effective area requirements, the THFs are to be made of a thin polyimide film (45 nm) coated in aluminum (30 nm) and supported by a metallic mesh. Due to the small thickness and the low thermal conductance of the material, the membranes are prone to developing a radial temperature gradient due to radiative coupling with the environment. Considering the fragility of the membrane and the high reflectivity in IR energy domain, temperature measurements are difficult. In this work, a parametric numerical study is performed to retrieve the radial temperature profile of the larger and outer THF of the Athena X-IFU using a Finite Element Model approach. The effects on the radial temperature profile of different design parameters and boundary conditions are considered: (i) the mesh design and material, (ii) the plating material, (iii) the addition of a thick Y-cross applied over the mesh, (iv) an active heating heat flux injected on the center and (v) a Joule heating of the mesh. The outcomes of this study have guided the choice of the baseline strategy for the heating of the Athena X-IFU THFs, fulfilling the stringent thermal specifications of the instrument. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Sensor and Measurement Technologies in Astronomy and Astrophysics)
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