A submillimeter heterodyne receiver for the Kuiper Airborne Observatory and the detection of the 372 μm carbon monoxide line J=7–6 in OMC-1 and W3

Roeser, Hans─Peter; Schaefer, Frank; Schmid-Burgk, J.; Schultz, G. V.; Wal, P. van der; Wattenbach, R.

doi:10.1007/bf01012441

Cited by 15 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Building on the legacy of the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (Gillespie 1981), SOFIA with its projected 20 years operational lifetime will complement and carry on the science heritage of Herschel (Pilbratt et al 2010). Since the first pioneering high-resolution FIR spectrometers were flown on the KAO (Betz & Zmuidzinas 1984;Phillips 1981;Röser et al 1987, and references therein), new technologies have enabled the development of instruments with -in those days -unobtainable performances and sensitivities. HIFI (de Graauw et al 2010), the heterodyne spectrometer currently flying onboard Herschel, and GREAT (German REceiver for Astronomy at Terahertz frequencies), the subject of this paper, are the most advanced implementations for actual science operation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

GREAT: the SOFIA high-frequency heterodyne instrument

Heyminck

Graf

Güsten

et al. 2012

A&A

211

198

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We describe the design and construction of GREAT (German REceiver for Astronomy at Terahertz frequencies) operated on the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). GREAT is a modular dual-color heterodyne instrument for highresolution far-infrared (FIR) spectroscopy. Selected for SOFIA's Early Science demonstration, the instrument has successfully performed three Short and more than a dozen Basic Science flights since first light was recorded on its April 1, 2011 commissioning flight. We report on the in-flight performance and operation of the receiver that -in various flight configurations, with three different detector channels -observed in several science-defined frequency windows between 1.25 and 2.5 THz. The receiver optics was verified to be diffraction-limited as designed, with nominal efficiencies; receiver sensitivities are state-of-the-art, with excellent system stability. The modular design allows for the continuous integration of latest technologies; we briefly discuss additional channels under development and ongoing improvements for Cycle 1 observations. GREAT is a principal investigator instrument, developed by a consortium of four German research institutes, available to the SOFIA users on a collaborative basis.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

GREAT: the SOFIA high-frequency heterodyne instrument

Heyminck

Graf

Güsten

et al. 2012

A&A

211

198

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“…The history of THz astronomical receiver systems starts with Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO), which supported 0.6 THz [102] and 0.8 THz [103] receivers with enough electrical power available to support CO 2 lasers to drive the optically pumped far infrared lasers. The KAO routinely performed THz spectroscopy using a variety of fixed tuned optically pumped far-infrared lasers [36] that drove fundamental Schottky diode mixers. This basic design was used in the first space system operating at over a THz.…”

Section: Airborne and Space-based Thz Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only the EOS-MLS on Aura [34] and HIFI on Herschel [35] have operated heterodyne spectrometers in space at frequencies above 1THz. In addition to these systems, the heritage of Kuiper Airborne Observatory [36] was critical in the development of THz space-based systems and will be discussed in the context of the technology used in THz astronomy. At the moment the only operational (airborne and space) >1 THz system is the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz frequencies, known as upGREAT [37].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Instrumentation for THz Spectroscopy in the Laboratory and in Space

Pearson

Drouin

2021

IEEE J. Microw.

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Spectroscopic measurements in the millimeter, submillimeter, or THz range, with resolutions exceeding a MHz, provide for highly specific detections of gas-phase absorption and emission by atoms and molecules. Due to relatively low excitation energies involved in the transitions, multiple features are observable in most physical systems, and thus such observations dominate the scientific discovery of molecules in space and contribute significantly to remote sensing of the Earth and planetary bodies. The methods and techniques of THz spectroscopy continue to evolve as capabilities and technologies expand. In this article, we review the genesis of THz spectroscopy in both the laboratory and in space, and follow its development to date, providing background on the challenges, and context for the current developments that promise to extend both remote and in-situ gas composition sensing.

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“…These values and T M ≈ 0 can, for example, be achieved if the conductance waveform of the mixer consists of a series of narrow pulses, as can be obtained by a switch with a small pulse-duty ratio t/t 0 where 1/t 0 = f LO (Barber 1967). Before the appearance of SIS mixers, heterodyne receivers for radioastronomical and atmospheric observation were commonly based on Schottky diode mixers (Zmuidzinas et al 1986, Harris et al 1987, Röser et al 1987. These receivers contributed important astronomical results.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SIS and bolometer mixers for terahertz frequencies

Gundlach¹,

Schicke²

2000

Supercond. Sci. Technol.

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The need for extremely sensitive heterodyne receivers in the astronomical community has created strong efforts to develop appropriate frequency mixers. Nb/Al-Al x O y -Nb tunnel junctions with Nb matching circuits lead to best results up to approximately 700 GHz, the energy-gap frequency of Nb. For higher frequencies the Nb in the matching circuit becomes lossy and is replaced beyond 800 GHz by Al (which operates in the normal conducting state). The gap frequency of NbN is as high as 1.2 THz, but NbN technology is not yet mature. Practical films still have substantial radio frequency losses and the barrier of NbN tunnel junctions is too leaky. More recently, NbTiN, for which the gap frequency is also about 1.2 THz, was found to have very low losses, and is therefore a good choice for tuning circuits. New interesting tunnel junctions for mixers around 1 THz are NbTiN-MgO-NbTiN and Nb/Al-AlN x -NbTiN. Excellent performance from about 1 THz up to several terahertz can be expected from hot-electron transition-edge bolometer mixers. They consist of NbN or Nb microbridges, they do not need matching circuits and their frequency limit is not determined by the gap frequency.

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A submillimeter heterodyne receiver for the Kuiper Airborne Observatory and the detection of the 372 μm carbon monoxide line J=7–6 in OMC-1 and W3

Cited by 15 publications

References 7 publications

GREAT: the SOFIA high-frequency heterodyne instrument

GREAT: the SOFIA high-frequency heterodyne instrument

Instrumentation for THz Spectroscopy in the Laboratory and in Space

SIS and bolometer mixers for terahertz frequencies

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