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

Charles M. Bradford; Bret J. Naylor; Jonas Zmuidzinas; James J. Bock; J. Gromke; Hien Nguyen; Mark Dragovan; Minhee Yun; Lieko Earle; Jason Glenn; Hideo Matsuhara; Peter A. R. Ade; Lionel Duband

doi:10.1117/12.461572

5 March 2003 WaFIRS: a waveguide far-IR spectrometer: enabling spectroscopy of high-z galaxies in the far-IR and submillimeter

Charles M. Bradford, Bret J. Naylor, Jonas Zmuidzinas, James J. Bock, J. Gromke, Hien Nguyen, Mark Dragovan, Minhee Yun, Lieko Earle, Jason Glenn, Hideo Matsuhara, Peter A. R. Ade, Lionel Duband

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4850, IR Space Telescopes and Instruments; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.461572
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 2002, Waikoloa, Hawai'i, United States

Abstract

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

Citation Download Citation

Charles M. Bradford, Bret J. Naylor, Jonas Zmuidzinas, James J. Bock, J. Gromke, Hien Nguyen, Mark Dragovan, Minhee Yun, Lieko Earle, Jason Glenn, Hideo Matsuhara, Peter A. R. Ade, and Lionel Duband "WaFIRS: a waveguide far-IR spectrometer: enabling spectroscopy of high-z galaxies in the far-IR and submillimeter", Proc. SPIE 4850, IR Space Telescopes and Instruments, (5 March 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.461572

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available