The 2023 terahertz science and technology roadmap

Terahertz (THz) radiation encompasses a wide spectral range within the electromagnetic spectrum that extends from microwaves to the far infrared (100 GHz-∼30 THz). Within its frequency boundaries exist a broad variety of scientific disciplines that have presented, and continue to present, technical challenges to researchers. During the past...

Beam Waist Properties of Spiral Antenna Coupled HEB Mixers at Supra-THz Frequencies

We have simulated and measured the beam properties of lens-antenna coupled hot electron bolometer mixers at a few supra-terahertz frequencies between 1.4 and 5.3 THz. The quasi-optical structures consist of an elliptical lens and a logarithmic spiral antenna. The model used for our simulations consists of a finite-element analysis to simulate...

High Accuracy Pointing for Quasi-optical THz Mixer Arrays

We report a high accuracy pointing technique for quasi-optical hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixers in focal-plane arrays designed to operate at 1.4, 1.9, and 4.7 THz. The high accuracy pointing is achieved by prealignment of a HEB chip to a lens, measuring the angular error of each mixer in an array assembly, and then realignment of the chip...

Gal/Xgal U/LDB Spectroscopic/Stratospheric THz Observatory:: GUSTO

Gal/Xgal U/LDB Spectroscopic/ Stratospheric THz Observatory (GUSTO) is a NASA Explorers Mission of Opportunity that will make large scale maps of the Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud in three important interstellar lines: [CII], [OI], and [NII] at 158, 63, and 205 μm, respectively. During its ~75 day stratospheric (~36 km) flight, GUSTO’s 0...

4.7 THz asymmetric beam multiplexer for GUSTO

A full demonstration of the Fourier phase grating used as 4.7 THz local oscillator (LO) multiplexer for Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO) is presented in this paper, including its design, modeling, tolerance analysis, and experimental characterizations of the angular and intensity distributions among 2 ×...

Probing ISM Structure in Trumpler 14 and Carina i Using the Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory 2

We present observations of the Trumpler 14/Carina I region carried out using the Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory 2. The Trumpler 14/Carina I region is in the western part of the Carina Nebula Complex (CNC), which is one of the most extreme star-forming regions in the Milky Way. We observed Trumpler 14/Carina I in the 158 μm transition of ...

A 4.7 THz HEB QCL receiver for STO2

We report on a 4.7 THz heterodyne receiver designed for high resolution spectroscopy of the astronomically important neutral oxygen (OI) line at 4.745 THz. The receiver is based around a hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixer and quantum cascade laser (QCL) local oscillator. This receiver has been developed to fly on the Stratospheric Terahertz...

Hot electron bolometer heterodyne receiver with a 4.7-THz quantum cascade laser as a local oscillator

We report on a heterodyne receiver designed to observe the astrophysically important neutral atomic oxygen [OI] line at 4.7448?THz. The local oscillator is a third-order distributed feedback quantum cascade laser operating in continuous wave mode at 4.741?THz. A quasi-optical, superconducting NbN hot electron bolometer is used as the mixer. We...

Large format heterodyne arrays for observing far-infrared lines with SOFIA

In the wavelength regime between 60 and 300 microns there are a number of atomic and molecular emission lines that are key diagnostic probes of the interstellar medium. These include transitions of [CII], [NII], [OI], HD, H2D+, OH, CO, and H2O, some of which are among the brightest global and local far-infrared lines in the Galaxy. In Giant...