Abstract
Based on the excellent performance of NbN HEB mixer receivers at THz frequencies which we have established in the laboratory, we are building a Terahertz REceiver with NbN HEB Device (TREND) to be installed on the 1.7 meter diameter AST/RO submillimeter wave telescope at the Amundsen/Scott South Pole Station. TREND is scheduled for deployment during the austral summer season of 2002/2003. The frequency range of 1.25 THz to 1.5 THz was chosen in order to match the good windows for atmospheric transmission and interstellar spectral lines of special interest. The South Pole Station is the best available site for THz observations due to the very cold and dry atmosphere over this site. In this paper, we report on the design of this receiver. In particular, we report on HEB mixer device performance, the quasi-optical coupling design using an elliptical silicon lens and a twin-slot antenna, the laser local oscillator (LO), as well as the mixer block design and the plans for coupling the TREND receiver to the sky beam and to the laser LO at the AST/RO telescope site.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 574-582 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
Volume | 4855 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2002 |
Event | Millimeter and Submillimeter Detectors for Astronomy - Waikaloa, HI, United States Duration: Aug 25 2002 → Aug 28 2002 |
Keywords
- HEB
- Quasi-optical receivers
- Radio telescopes
- Submillimeter
- Superconducting devices
- Terahertz mixers
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Computer Science Applications
- Applied Mathematics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering