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Last Modified: Tuesday, 19-July-05
3:00 PM EDT
Millimeter Wave Instrumentation Lab
The Millimeter Wave Instrumentation Lab specializes in the area of low noise millimeter and submillimeter wave receiver systems for ground based, airborne and space borne astronomy. The primary role is to support the FCRAO 14m telescope and to develop systems for the 50m LMT/GTM. Receiver work for the 14m is entirely devoted to focal plane array receivers for the 3mm band. We are also participating in receiver development for SOFIA, the NASA/DARA Airborne Observatory in work on submillimeter local oscillators. There are several other projects that we support at a lesser level, shown in the list below.
Work in the lab is on all aspects of the components required for the systems we develop. The SOFIA work is concentrated in building a complete local oscillator system for the frequency range of 500-1200 GHz. This work requires building a set of frequency doublers and triplers and then cascading them to produce a net multiplication of a factor of up to 27. All of the multipliers will use planar diode circuits, most of these in the form of complex microcircuits known as MMIC's, fabricated on GaAs.
PROJECTS
Current Projects
Redshift Search Receiver Other future instrumentation for the LMT/GTM, including a 1mm commissioning receiver. SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) MMIC low noise amplifier development, from 1-120 GHz. MMIC power amplifiers for 70-120 GHz. Compact mm-wave receiver systems using MMIC amplifiers.Past work in the FCRAO receiver lab
Broadband Millimeter Wave Power Generation Using Integrated Circuits MIRO (Microwave Instrument for the Rosetta Orbiter) 280 GHz planar doubler for the local oscillator Low Noise Amplifier Development for New Generation SETI Array Sensitive and accurate power measurements for the submillimeter range. SEQUOIA (SEcond QUabbin Observatory Imaging Array) HIFI local oscillator system for the Herschel Space Observatory QUARRY (QUabbin ARRaY): a 15 pixel Schottky mixer array receiver for the 3mm band. The first fully integrated mm-wave array receiver. SWAS (Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite):
A complete 490 and 550 GHz observatory in space, developed in part using technology pioneered at the FCRAO.
UMass astronomers are now using this satellite in routine observations. Developmental work in frequency multipliers for the submillimeter range since 1980. Recently an LO system
for 807 GHz was sent to the AST/RO observatory at the South Pole.
PEOPLE
Research Faculty
Dr. Neal Erickson Dr. Gopal NarayananResearch Staff
Ronna B. Erickson Vern Fath Ron Grosslein Karen Bourque Werner John WielgusGraduate Students
Robert GoellerPICTURES
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