As a research institute of the
Smithsonian Institution,
the Smithsonian
Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) is headquartered
in Cambridge, MA, where it is joined with the Harvard College Observatory (HCO) to form
the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics (CfA). More than 300 scientists at the CfA are
engaged in a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics,
earth and space sciences, and science education.
Return to the receiver lab homepage.
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HEB Development at the Submillimeter Receiver Lab
In collaboration with the
Moscow State Pedagogical University
(MPSU),
the receiver lab staff is actively developing Hot Electron Bolometer
(HEB) devices for heterodyne mixers at submillimeter frequencies and
beyond. In January 2000, the first fully-resolved ground-based detection
of a terahertz spectral line from an astronomical source
(CO 9-8 in Orion BN/KL) was obtained with the HEB receiver.
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This detection, along with a small map,
was made at the 10-meter
SMTO/HHT, pictured at left.
These results have been submitted for publication by
Kawamura et al.
A description of
the instrument which obtained these observations can be found here
and here.
You can also read more details in this joint CfA/Steward Observatory press
release, and in the
CfA Almanac.
The press release was carried in many outlets, including
UniSci.com
and EarthChangesTV.
Sky and Telescope also published a
brief article, along with the Arizona Daily Star.
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