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Far-IR, Sub-mm & MM Detector Technology
Workshop
Location: Monterey CA;
Date: 1-3 April 2002; Duration: 2 days (3 nights)
Most of the radiation in the Universe is emitted
at wavelengths longer than 30 microns. These wavelengths highlight
the birth and evolution of most of the normal objects in our Universe:
they highlight cool to warm phenomena, processes of change such
as formation of planetary systems, star formation, galaxy evolution
and the Cosmic Microwave Background. Yet, precisely in this wavelength
range where the Universe is most luminous, detector development
is not mature and is under-funded. This is because the development
of such detectors falls completely on the shoulders of the astronomical
community. Private industry and military development efforts are
at a very low level at best.
Far-IR, sub-mm & mm detector demand for this decade:
SIRTF (2002 – 2007), SOFIA (2004 –2024), Planck/HFI (2007
– 2010) and Herschel (2007 – 2010) are four observatories
that will observe the Universe at these important wavelengths (3
um – 3 mm). The latter three will fly detectors yet to be fully
developed and/or tested. Existing and planned ground-based sub-mm
and mm (300 um – 3 mm) observatories would increase their productivity
and capabilities many times by improved large-format detector arrays,
and such observatories provide a natural testing ground, as does
SOFIA, for technologies that ultimately are essential for future
NASA space-based missions.
Beyond 2010: In the last Decadal Report issued by the National
Academy of Science, in regards to Astronomy and Astrophysics, major
new initiatives were recommended for study and development during
this decade for operations in the next. One such mission is the
SAFIR (Single Aperture Far Infrared) Observatory, an 8 m class space-based
telescope exploring the Universe from 30 to 300 microns. "It
will enable the study of galaxy formation and the earliest stage
of star formation by revealing regions too enshrouded by dust to
be studied by NGST, and too warm to be studied effectively with
ALMA."
NASA Headquarters has recently commissioned an IR / Sub-mm Detector
Working Group to investigate the issues facing IR/Sub-mm detector
development. This group is to put their findings and recommendations
into a report to be delivered to NASA by mid-May 2002.
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The Far-IR, Sub-mm & MM Detector
Technology Workshop will provide a forum for the community
of observers, instrument developers, detector developers,
and the NASA IR Detector Working Group to discuss detector
technology and development issues for wavelengths longer than
30 microns. The workshop would specifically:
(1)**Review
present and future Far-IR, Sub-mm, and mm missions/science;
(2) Outline the new technologies being explored by detector
developers and their projections of the state-of-the-art
technologies beyond 2010;
(3) Outline the available infrastructure and needed new
infrastructure required to develop and characterize new
detector arrays and their electronics to supply foreseen
science instrument/mission developments;
(4) Identify possible future involvement by industry in
detector development for wavelengths longer than 30 microns;
(5) Provide input to the NASA IR/ Sub-mm Detector Working
Group; and
(6) Produce a proceedings that will be a useful reference
document for the community.
**This
review will summarize the findings from the "Second
Workshop on New Concepts for Far-Infrared and Submillimeter
Space Astronomy" to be held on March 7-8, 2002 (see
http://www.westoverconferences.com/FARIR).
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