English

A four-pole power-combiner design for far-infrared and submillimeter spectroscopy

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics 2015-05-20 v1

Abstract

The far-infrared and submillimeter portions of the electromagnetic spectrum provide a unique view of the astrophysical processes present in the early universe. Micro-Spec (μ\mu-Spec), a high-efficiency direct-detection spectrometer concept working in the 450-1000-μ\mum wavelength range, will enable a wide range of spaceflight missions that would otherwise be challenging due to the large size of current instruments and the required spectral resolution and sensitivity. This paper focuses on the μ\mu-Spec two-dimensional multimode region, where the light of different wavelengths diffracts and converges onto a set of detectors. A two-step optimization process is used to generate geometrical configurations given specific requirements on spectrometer size, operating spectral range, and performance. The canonically employed focal-plane constraints for the power combiner were removed to probe the design space in its entirety. A new four-stigmatic-point optical design solution is identified and explored for use in far-infrared and submillimeter spectroscopy.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1505.05036,
  title  = {A four-pole power-combiner design for far-infrared and submillimeter spectroscopy},
  author = {Giuseppe Cataldo and Samuel H. Moseley and Edward J. Wollack},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1505.05036},
  year   = {2015}
}

Comments

This paper was presented during the 65th International Astronautical Congress in Toronto