Astronomical detectors as a research area focuses on the development, characterization, and optimization of sensor technologies used to register electromagnetic or particle signals from astronomical sources with high sensitivity, dynamic range, and temporal and spatial resolution. It encompasses work on charge-coupled devices (CCDs), complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) imagers, infrared arrays, superconducting devices such as transition-edge sensors and kinetic inductance detectors, as well as photon-counting and polarimetric detectors. Research addresses quantum efficiency, noise sources, readout architectures, calibration strategies, radiation hardness, and cryogenic operation, enabling precise photometry, spectroscopy, astrometry, and time-domain observations across multiple wavelength regimes.
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