An infrared photon-counting photometer based on the edge-illuminated solid-state photomultiplier

We present the design, construction, and test observations of a new infrared (IR) photon-counting photometer for astronomy based on the edge-illuminated solid-state photomultiplier (EISSPM). The EISSPM has a photon-counting capability over the 0.4-28 μm range with a nanosecond-scale intrinsic detector time resolution. Its quantum efficiency (QE) peaks greater than or equal to 30 % in the near-IR, which is much higher than the previous SSPM with back illumination. After characterizing the dark noise of the EISSPM at its operational temperature range, we develop an EISSPM-based IR photon-counting photometer for astronomical observations. This includes the design and construction of a full optical, cryo-mechanical, and electronics system as well as the software for operating the instrument on telescopes. We report the results of our test observations of the Crab Nebula pulsar using this new instrument on the Palomar Hale 5-m telescope with 10-μs time resolution.