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R.W. Romani, B. Cabrera, E. Figueroa, A.J. Miller, S. W. Nam (Stanford Univ.)
We report on the performance of a first-generation fast spectrophotometer based on the superconducting-normal transition at <0.1K in thin tungsten films. This TES device detects individual IR-optical-UV photons with high quantum efficiency, providing sub-microsecond arrival time accuracy and individual photon energies to ~0.1eV. We have connected isolated TES 20 micron pixels via optical fiber to a small (0.2m) telescope and report on initial observations that illustrate the potential of this device for time-resolved spectrophotometry. Simulations are used to extrapolate the device's performance to large aperture telescopes, where we show the instrument can make a number of unique measurements of variable systems such as compact object binaries and isolated spin-powered pulsars. We also describe the expected performance from space platforms where the device can simultaneously detect from the mid-IR (~10 microns) to the Lyman limit. With a modest scale array, a TES imaging spectrometer will provide a powerful tool for the study of broad-band spectral energy distributions, with a resolution reaching R>200 in the UV. Simulations of spectra from faint extragalactic sources and Galactic compact objects show that such instruments based on cryogenic detector technology promise powerful new observational capabilities for astrophysics and cosmology.