Abstract
A Fabry-Perot spectrometer for airborne observations of astronomical spectral lines has been designed for use in the 50 to 200 μm region of the far-infrared. The spectrometer uses a fixed wavelength Fabry-Perot filter cooled to 4.2 K in conjunction with a high order scanning Fabry-Perot at room temperature. This arrangement provides high spectral resolution and also minimizes the thermal background radiation on the detector. The instrument has been successfully used to study all the presently detected fine structure lines between 50 and 120 μm.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
D. B. Ward, B. Dennison, G. Gull, and M. Harwit, Astrophys. J. Lett.202, L31 (1975).
D.M. Watson and J.W.V. Storey, Int. J. IR and MM Waves, to be published (1980).
J.P. Baluteau, A. Marten, E. Bussoletti, M. Anderegg, A.F.M. Moorwood, J.E. Beckman, and N. Coron, Astron. Astrophys.64, 61 (1978)
E.F. Erickson, D. Goorvitch, J.P. Simpson, and D.W. Strecker, Icarus35, 61 (1978).
I. Furniss, R.E. Jennings, and K.J. King, Icarus35, 74 (1978).
L. Greenberg, R. McClaren, L. Stoller, and C.H. Townes, NASA-Ames, Symposium on Recent Results in IR Astrophysics, Ed. P. Dyal, Ames Research Center, NASA TMX 73190 (1977).
K.F. Renk and L. Genzel, Appl. Opt.1, 643 (1962).
G. Chanin and J.C. Lecullier, Infrared Phys.18, 589 (1978).
N.R. Erickson, Appl. Opt. 18956 (1979).
J.C. Lecullier and G. Chanin, Infrared Phys.16, 273 (1976).
A. Mitsuishi, Y. Otsuka, S. Fujita, and H. Yoshinaga, Jap. J. Appl. Phys.2, 574 (1963).
E.E. Haller, M.R. Hueschen, and P.L. Richards, Appl. Phys. Lett.34, 495 (1979).
J.W.V. Storey, D.M. Watson and C.H. Townes, Astrophys. J.233, 109 (1979).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Work supported in part by NASA Grant NGR 05-003-511
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Storey, J.W.V., Watson, D.M. & Townes, C.H. An airborne far-infrared spectrometer for astronomical observations. Int J Infrared Milli Waves 1, 15–25 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01007063
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01007063