About

Professor Philip Mauskopf holds a joint appointment at Arizona State University in the School of Earth and Space Exploration and the Department of Physics. His primary background is in experimental cosmology, focusing on designing and building new types of instruments to measure signals from the most distant objects in the universe. His research interests are broad and include solid state physics, atmospheric science, quantum communications, and cryptography. Professor Mauskopf values interdisciplinary projects within the ASU community and collaborates with researchers at various prestigious institutions such as Caltech/JPL, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, NIST Boulder, Cardiff University in the UK, and the Neel Institute and IRAM observatory in France. Before joining ASU in 2012, he was a professor of experimental astrophysics at Cardiff University, where he helped establish a world-leading group specializing in astronomical instrumentation for terahertz frequencies. Professor Mauskopf earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Physics from the University of California-Berkeley in 1997 and his B.A. in Physics from Harvard University in 1990.

Research topics

• Physics
• Astronomy
• Astrophysics
• Optics
• Quantum mechanics
• Particle physics
• Condensed matter physics
• Remote sensing
• Electrical engineering
• Geography

Selected publications

• Readout of Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector (MKID) Arrays for Habitable Worlds Observatory Using a Polyphase Filterbank Algorithm

  IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen access

  The <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO)</i> will require scalable detector readout architectures capable of supporting large-format Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector (MKID) arrays with high tone density and stringent spectral isolation. Polyphase filterbank (PFB) channelizers have been widely adopted in MKID readouts on ground and suborbital platforms. However, translating these readouts to a space-qualified FPGA environment introduces additional constraints on determinism, traceability, verification, and resource utilization. This work presents a resource-efficient, fixed-point implementation of a critically sampled PFB coarse channelizer targeting space-readout development. The architecture is validated through FPGA hardware measurements and provides a traceable foundation for a future hand-coded VHDL implementation suitable for NASA review and certification.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Spaceflight KID Readout Electronics for PRIMA

  IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity · 2026-01-12

  article

  We present the design and testing of a prototype multiplexing kinetic inductance detector (KID) readout electronics for the PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) space mission. PRIMA is a Probe-class astrophysics mission concept that will answer fundamental questions about the formation of planetary systems, the co-evolution of stars and supermassive black holes in galaxies, and the rise of heavy elements and dust over cosmic time. The readout electronics for PRIMA must be compatible with operation at Earth-Sun L2 and capable of multiplexing more than 1000 detectors over 2.5 GHz bandwidth while consuming around 30 W per readout chain. The electronics must also be capable of switching between the two instruments, which have different readout bands: the hyperspectral imager (PRIMAger, 2.6-4.9 GHz) and the spectrometer (FIRESS, 0.4-2.4 GHz). The PRIMA readout electronics use high-heritage SpaceCube digital electronics with a build-to-print SpaceCube Mini v3.0 board using a radiation-tolerant Kintex KU060 field programmable gate array (FPGA) and a custom high-speed digitizer board, along with RF electronics that provide filtering and power conditioning. We present the driving requirements for the system, as well as the hardware, firmware, software, and system-level design that meets those requirements.

  PublisherDOI

• Spaceflight KID Readout Electronics for PRIMA

  ArXiv.org · 2025-12-04

  preprintOpen access

  We present the design and testing of a prototype multiplexing kinetic inductance detector (KID) readout electronics for the PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) space mission. PRIMA is a Probe-class astrophysics mission concept that will answer fundamental questions about the formation of planetary systems, the co-evolution of stars and supermassive black holes in galaxies, and the rise of heavy elements and dust over cosmic time. The readout electronics for PRIMA must be compatible with operation at Earth-Sun L2 and capable of multiplexing more than 1000 detectors over 2.5 GHz bandwidth while consuming around 30 W per readout chain. The electronics must also be capable of switching between the two instruments, which have different readout bands: the hyperspectral imager (PRIMAger, 2.6-4.9 GHz) and the spectrometer (FIRESS, 0.4-2.4 GHz). The PRIMA readout electronics use high-heritage SpaceCube digital electronics with a build-to-print SpaceCube Mini v3.0 board using a radiation-tolerant Kintex KU060 field programmable gate array (FPGA) and a custom high-speed digitizer board, along with RF electronics that provide filtering and power conditioning. We present the driving requirements for the system, as well as the hardware, firmware, software, and system-level design that meets those requirements.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• KID Detector Readout Electronics Development for Habitable Worlds Observatory

  ArXiv.org · 2025-09-17

  preprintOpen access

  We present the status and goals of the readout electronics system we are developing to support the detector arrays in the coronagraph instrument on the NASA Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) mission currently in development. HWO aims to revolutionize exoplanet exploration by performing direct imaging and spectroscopy of 25 or more habitable exoplanets, and to resolve a broad range of astrophysics science questions as well. Since exoplanet yield depends critically on the detector dark count rate, as we show in this paper, the ambitious goals of HWO require arrays of single-photon energy-resolving detectors. We argue that Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) are best suited to meet these requirements. To support the detectors required for HWO and future far-IR missions, at the required power consumption and detector count, we are developing a radiation-tolerant reconfigurable readout system for both imaging and energy-resolving single photon KID detector arrays. We leverage an existing RFSoC-based system we built for NASA balloons that has a power consumption of 30 Watts and reads out 2000-4000 detectors (i.e. 7-15 mW/pixel), and move to a radiation tolerant Kintex Ultrascale FPGA chip to bring low-power wide bandwidth readout to a space-qualified platform for the first time. This improves significantly over previous spaceflight systems, and delivers what is required for NASA's future needs: ~100,000 pixels with less than 1 kW total power consumption. Overall, the system we are developing is a significant step forward in capability, and retires many key risks for the Habitable Worlds Observatory mission.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Kinetic inductance and non-linearity of MgB2 films at 4K

  Applied Physics Letters · 2025-01-13 · 1 citations

  article

  We report on the fabrication and characterization of superconducting magnesium diboride (MgB2) thin films intended for quantum-limited devices based on non-linear kinetic inductance (NLKI) such as parametric amplifiers with either elevated operating temperatures or expanded frequency ranges. In order to characterize the MgB2 material properties, we have fabricated coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission lines and microwave resonators using ≈40 nm thick MgB2 films with a measured kinetic inductance of ∼5.5 pH/□ and internal quality factors Qi≈3×104 at 4.2 K. We measure the NLKI in MgB2 by applying a DC bias to a 6 cm long by 4 μm wide CPW transmission line and measuring the resulting phase delay caused by the current dependent NLKI. We also measure the current dependent NLKI through CPW resonators that shift down in frequency with increased power applied through the CPW feedline. Using these measurements, we calculate the characteristic non-linear current parameter, I*, for multiple CPW geometries. We find values for corresponding current density, J*=12–22 MA/cm2, and a ratio of the critical current to the non-linear current parameter, IC/I*=0.14–0.26, similar to or higher than values for other superconductors such as NbTiN and TiN.

  PublisherDOI

• Intensity interferometry second order correlation measured on Sirius with 10" telescopes

  2025-03-19

  article

  We present the design and initial results of a stellar intensity interferometer using small 0.25 m Newtonian-style telescopes in an urban backyard setting. Using Sirius as a target star, which yields 2.0 Mcps per detector with matched 1 nm wide filters at 589.6 nm, we obtained a strong second-order correlation spike with an SNR > 10 (FWHM width of 310 ps) after 13.5 hours of integration over a three-night period. The maximum baseline of the telescopes was 3.3 m. Our optical system allows for on-axis guiding and tracking of the star, keeping it centered on a 100 µm diameter fiber optic cable, which ensures a steady detector count rate throughout the evening. Future work includes collecting data with other baselines and bright stars while using a lower jitter setting on our time-tagger (26 ps vs. 140 ps FWHM).

  PublisherDOI

• A millimeter-wave photometric camera for long-range imaging through optical obscurants using kinetic inductance detectors

  Review of Scientific Instruments · 2025-03-01

  article

  Passive imaging through optical obscurants is a promising application for mm-wave sensing. We have thus developed the Superconducting Kinetic Inductance Passive Radiometer (SKIPR), a 150 GHz polarization-sensitive photometric camera optimized for terrestrial imaging using a focal plane array with 3840 kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs). We present a full description of the instrument design, with a particular emphasis on the cryogenic system based on a Gifford-McMahon cryocooler with a two-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator and a dedicated 1.59 m crossed Dragone telescope with an altitude/azimuth mount. We include a detailed lab-based characterization of the KIDs, which results in a determination of their superconducting resonator parameters and optical properties. We also present in situ measurements from the telescope, including point-spread functions and noise characterization. In sum, we find that SKIPR performs as expected, providing diffraction-limited imaging with detector noise performance set by the random arrivals of photons from the ambient background. There is minimal variation in detector characteristics over the full SKIPR focal plane array, and the overall detector yield is 92%.

  PublisherDOI

• CCAT: Mod-Cam Cryogenic Performance and its Impact on 280 GHz KID Array Noise

  ArXiv.org · 2025-09-29

  preprintOpen access

  The CCAT Observatory's Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST) is designed to observe submillimeter astronomical signals with high precision, using receivers fielding state-of-the-art kinetic inductance detector (KID) arrays. Mod-Cam, a first-light instrument for FYST, serves as a testbed for instrument module characterization, including detailed evaluation of thermal behavior under operating conditions prior to deploying modules in the larger Prime-Cam instrument. Prime-Cam is a first generation multi-band, wide-field camera for FYST, designed to field up to seven instrument modules and provide unprecedented sensitivity across a broad frequency range. We present results from two key laboratory characterizations: an "optically open" cooldown to validate the overall thermal performance of the cryostat, and a "cold load" cooldown to measure the effect of focal plane temperature stability on detector noise. During the optically open test, we achieved stable base temperatures of 1.5 K on the 1 K stage and 85 mK at the detector stage. In the cold load configuration, we measured a detector focal plane RMS temperature stability of 3.2e-5 K. From this stability measurement, we demonstrate that the equivalent power from focal plane thermal fluctuations is only 0.0040% of a 5pW incident photon power for aluminum detectors and 0.0023% for titanium-nitride detectors, a negligible level for CCAT science goals. This highlights the success of the cryogenic system design and thermal management.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Intensity interferometer results on Sirius with 0.25 m telescopes

  Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society · 2025-02-06 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  ABSTRACT We present the successful measurement of the squared visibility of Sirius at a telescope separation of 3.3 m using small 0.25 m Newtonian-style telescopes in an urban backyard setting. The primary science goal for small-scale intensity interferometers has been to measure the angular diameters of stars. Recent advances in low jitter time-tagging equipment and Single Photon Avalanche Detectors have made the detection of second-order photon correlation signals feasible with small low-cost telescopes. Using Sirius as a target star, we observe a photon count rate of $\sim$1.9 Mcps per detector with matched 1.2 nm wide filters at 589.3 nm and measured the spatial squared visibility at a telescope separation of 3.3 m to be $|V_{12}(3.3\,\text{m})|^2~=~0.94\pm 0.16$. The measured signal-to-noise ratio of the detection is $\sim$7 after 13.55 h of integration. The uncertainty in the measured visibility includes uncertainty in the instrument response function. The squared visibility agrees closely with the expected value of $0.94\pm 0.01$. These results demonstrate that using small low-cost telescopes is feasible for intensity interferometry of bright stars. This enables a simple scaling in sensitivity by further realistic improvements in the instrument response jitter as well as increasing both the number of spectral bands and the number of telescopes towards systems capable of resolving objects such as quasars, white dwarfs, and galactic Cepheid variable stars.

  PublisherDOI

• CCAT: Readout of over 10,000 280 GHz KIDs in Mod-Cam using RFSoC Electronics

  ArXiv.org · 2025-10-07

  preprintOpen access

  Over the past decade, kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) have emerged as a viable superconducting technology for astrophysics at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. KIDs spanning 210 - 850 GHz across seven instrument modules will be deployed in the Prime-Cam instrument of CCAT Observatory's Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope at an elevation of 5600 m on Cerro Chajnantor in Chile's Atacama Desert. The natural frequency-division multiplexed readout of KIDs allows hundreds of detectors to be coupled to a single radio frequency (RF) transmission line, but requires sophisticated warm readout electronics. The FPGA-based Xilinx ZCU111 radio frequency system on chip (RFSoC) offers a promising and flexible solution to the challenge of warm readout. CCAT uses custom packaged RFSoCs to read out KIDs in the Prime-Cam instrument. Each RFSoC can simultaneously read out four RF channels with up to 1,000 detectors spanning a 512 MHz bandwidth per channel using the current firmware. We use five RFSoCs to read out the &gt;10,000 KIDs in the broadband 280 GHz instrument module inside a testbed receiver. Here, we describe and demonstrate the readout software and pipeline for the RFSoC system. We also present the preliminary averaged spectral responses of the 280 GHz instrument module using KIDs from the TiN array and the first Al array as a demonstration of the end-to-end performance of the readout and optical systems. These measurements demonstrate the foundation that will enable us to simultaneously read out over 10,000 KIDs with the RFSoC and represent a critical step toward reading out the ~100,000 KIDs in Prime-Cam in its future full capacity configuration.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: Demonstration of Superspec: a Superconducting On-Chip Spectrometer for mm and submm Wavelength Astrophysics

  NSF · $255k · 2014–2017

• Collaborative Research: Scalable Kilo-Pixel Detector Modules Based on Polarization Sensitive Multi-Chroic Aluminum Manganese MKIDs

  NSF · $203k · 2017–2020

• Collaborative Research: Polarization Sensitive Multi-Chroic MKIDs

  NSF · $195k · 2015–2017

Frequent coauthors

• V. Revéret

  CEA Paris-Saclay - Etablissement de Saclay

  1000 shared

• H. Aussel

  Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation

  819 shared

• P. André

  Université Paris-Saclay

  721 shared

• A. Ritacco

  Université Paris Sciences et Lettres

  638 shared

• P. A. R. Ade

  Cardiff University

  606 shared

• J. F. Macías–Pérez

  Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et de Cosmologie

  580 shared

• A. Maury

  Université Paris Cité

  579 shared

• O. Bourrion

  Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

  566 shared

Education

• Ph.D.

  University of California-Berkeley

  1997

• M.A.

  University of California-Berkeley

  1997

• B.A.

  Harvard University

  1990