WaFIRS: a waveguide far-IR spectrometer: enabling spectroscopy of high-z galaxies in the far-IR and submillimeter

Details WaFIRS: a waveguide far-IR spectrometer: enabling spectroscopy of high-z galaxies in the far-IR and submillimeter WaFIRS: a waveguide far-IR spectrometer: enabling spectroscopy of high-z galaxies in the far-IR and submillimeter

Mar 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003spie.4850.1137b&link_type=abstract

IR Space Telescopes and Instruments. Edited by John C. Mather . Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 4850, pp. 1137-1148 (2003).

Computer Science

Performance

8

Scientific paper

The discovery of galaxies beyond z~1 which emit the bulk of their luminosity at long wavelengths has demonstrated the need for high-sensitivity, broad-band spectroscopy in the far-IR/submm/mm bands. Because many of these sources are not detectable in the optical, long-wavelength spectroscopy is key to measuring their redshifts and ISM conditions. The continuum source list will increase in the coming decade with new ground-based instruments (SCUBA2, Bolocam, MAMBO), and the surveys of HSO and SIRTF. Yet the planned spectroscopic capabilities lag behind, in part due to the difficulty in scaling existing IR spectrograph designs to longer wavelengths. To overcome these limitations, we are developing WaFIRS, a novel concept for long-wavelength spectroscopy which utilizes a parallel-plate waveguide and a curved diffraction grating. WaFIRS provides the large (~60%) instantaneous bandwidth and high throughput of a conventional grating system, but offers a dramatic reduction in volume and mass. WaFIRS requires no space overheads for extra optical elements beyond the diffraction grating itself, and is two-dimensional because the propagation is confined between two parallel plates. Thus several modules could be stacked to multiplex either spatially or in different frequency bands. The size and mass savings provide opportunities for spectroscopy from space-borne observatories which would be impractical with traditional spectrographs. With background-limited detectors and a cooled 3.5 m telescope, the line sensitivity would be comparable to that of ALMA, with instantaneous broad-band coverage. We present the spectrometer concept, performance verification with a mm-wave prototype, and our progress toward a cryogenic astronomical instrument

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

WaFIRS: a waveguide far-IR spectrometer: enabling spectroscopy of high-z galaxies in the far-IR and submillimeter does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with WaFIRS: a waveguide far-IR spectrometer: enabling spectroscopy of high-z galaxies in the far-IR and submillimeter, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and WaFIRS: a waveguide far-IR spectrometer: enabling spectroscopy of high-z galaxies in the far-IR and submillimeter will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1170433