Isakson Prize Talk: Four Decades of Far Infrared and Millimeter Waves

Details Isakson Prize Talk: Four Decades of Far Infrared and Millimeter Waves Isakson Prize Talk: Four Decades of Far Infrared and Millimeter Waves

Mar 2000

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000aps..mar.m7003r&link_type=abstract

American Physical Society, Annual March Meeting, March 20-24, 2000 Minneapolis, MN, abstract #M7.003

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Beginning in the late 1950’s the opportunities for spectroscopy of condensed matter systems at far infrared and millimeter wavelengths led to a series of technological advances including the use of light pipes, helium cooled bolometric detectors, superconducting magnets, and Fourier transform spectrometers. These new techniques enabled the rapid exploration of superconducting energy gaps, lattice vibrations, and magnetic resonance in ferri-, ferro-, and antiferro-, and paramagnetic systems over the frequency range from 5 to 100 cm-1. Selected experiments will be described to illustrate how techniques such as averaging over spatial modes and limiting the background infrared power produced high quality data despite the low source power available. Beginning in the 1970’s, the challenges of far infrared and millimeter wave astrophysics led to further spectacular improvements in sensitivity. Superconducting quasiparticle (SIS) mixers were developed that reached the limits set by the uncertainty principle and are used for molecular line radio astronomy at frequencies from 3 to 20 cm-1. Composite bolometric detectors with neutron transmutation doped Ge thermistors and metal film absorbers were developed to measure the spectrum and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation from 3 to 15 cm-1. Adiabatic demagnetization was introduced to cool bolometers to 0.1K. Photoconductive detectors of Ge:Ga were subjected to uniaxial stress to extend the response down to 50 cm-1 in order to measure thermal emission from dust and the CII line emission from galaxies. A new bolometer technology is now being developed based on voltage-biased superconducting transition edge sensors which promises to enable arrays of 10^3 or more detectors for studies of galaxy formation. These developments will be reviewed, with emphasis on how the devices work, with an overview of the science being done.

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