Title :
A low-noise 810 GHz heterodyne receiver for molecular-line astronomy
Author :
Davies, S.R. ; Ellison, B.N. ; Price, M.C. ; Little, L.T. ; White, G.J. ; Natale, V. ; Jackson, B.D. ; Matheson, D.N.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Phys., Univ. of Bath, UK
fDate :
27 Sept.-1 Oct. 2004
Abstract :
A low-noise 810 GHz heterodyne receiver for astronomy is described. The mixer consists of a NbTiN SIS junction, mounted in a half-height rectangular waveguide mixer block. The receiver has been successfully tested on the UK Infrared Telescope, Hawaii, with a DSB system noise temperature of 280 K at 808 GHz. Observations of several astronomical sources have verified the sensitivity of the instrument.
Keywords :
astronomical instruments; microwave mixers; niobium compounds; rectangular waveguides; superconductor-insulator-superconductor mixers; titanium compounds; 280 K; 808 GHz; 810 GHz; DSB system noise; NbTiN; NbTiN SIS junction; UK Infrared Telescope; astronomical sources; heterodyne receiver; low noise receiver; molecular line astronomy; rectangular waveguide mixer; Astronomy; Helium; Mirrors; Optical beams; Optical receivers; Optical surface waves; Physics; Rectangular waveguides; Telescopes; Waveguide junctions;
Conference_Titel :
Infrared and Millimeter Waves, 2004 and 12th International Conference on Terahertz Electronics, 2004. Conference Digest of the 2004 Joint 29th International Conference on
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-8490-3
DOI :
10.1109/ICIMW.2004.1422322
