Everything came together just in time for the team at UC San Diego to install the single pixel test box into SAT1 before the COVID shutdown. Aamir Ali from UC Berkeley delivered the focal plane base, and the pixel test box was received from Princeton, where it was assembled with the pixel detectors and a microwave multiplexer chip fabricated at NIST. The box really contains not one but 4 pixels, three UHF Pixels, and a single camera pixel. Each pixel consists of 6 bolometers: two wavelengths, two polarizations and two for comparison and calibration.

The first pump-out and cooldown was achieved with the box installed but an open line prevented readout. Look for readout results soon!

Watch Maximiliano Silva-feaver’s video update about the pixel test box below.