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Thermal illuminators for far-infrared and submillimeter astronomical instruments
Giampaolo Pisano1, Peter Hargrave, Matthew Griffin
1University of Wales-Cardiff, 5 The Parade, Cardiff CF24 3YB, UK. giampaolo.pisano@astro.cf.ac.uk
Applied Optics
|June 10, 2005
Summary
Astronomical instruments need internal thermal emitters for calibration. A new low-power design offers fast response for infrared-millimeter applications, exemplified by the Herschel SPIRE satellite instrument.
Area of Science:
- Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation
- Infrared and Millimeter Wave Technology
Background:
- Infrared-millimeter astronomical instruments require internal calibration sources.
- Existing sources may not meet demands for fast response and low power dissipation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design, model, and evaluate fast-response, low-power thermal emitters for the far-infrared-submillimeter region.
- To optimize emitter design for specific satellite instrument requirements.
Main Methods:
- Development of thermal emitter prototypes.
- Modeling and simulation of emitter performance.
- Experimental evaluation of a prototype for the Herschel Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) instrument.
Main Results:
- A prototype illuminator for SPIRE was developed.
- The prototype achieves an equivalent blackbody temperature of 45 K.
- It operates with a power dissipation of 1.5 mW and a 90% settling time of 220 ms.
Conclusions:
- The developed thermal emitters are suitable for infrared-millimeter astronomical instruments.
- The design meets stringent requirements for detector monitoring and calibration.
- This technology enhances the operational capabilities of space-based observatories.