TY - GEN
T1 - Upgrading the field-imaging far-infrared line spectrometer for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) with KIDs
T2 - Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy X 2020
AU - Colditz, Sebastian
AU - Looney, Leslie W.
AU - Bigiel, Frank
AU - Fischer, Christian
AU - Fischer, Jacqueline
AU - Hailey-Dunsheath, Steven
AU - Herrera-Camus, Rodrigo
AU - Krabbe, Alfred
AU - Leduc, Henry
AU - Wong, Tony
AU - Zmuidzinas, Jonas
N1 - SOFIA, the "Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy" is a joint project of the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR; German Aerospace Centre, grant: 50OK0901) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It is funded on behalf of DLR by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology based on legislation by the German Parliament, the state of Baden-Württemberg, and the Universität Stuttgart. Scientific operation for Germany is coordinated by the German SOFIA-Institute (DSI) of the Universität Stuttgart, in the USA by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA). The commissioning of FIFI-LS was supported by the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie (Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology of the Federal Republic of Germany) through the DLR Space Administration (grant: 50OK1201).
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - We present the initial design, performance improvements and science opportunities for an upgrade to the Field-Imaging Far-Infrared Line Spectrometer (FIFI-LS). FIFI-LS efficiently measures fine structure cooling lines, delivering critical constraints of the interstellar medium and starforming environments. SOFIA provides the only FIR observational capability in the world, making FIFI-LS a workhorse for FIR lines, combining optimal spectral resolution and a wide velocity range. Its continuous coverage from 51-203 microns makes FIFI-LS a versatile tool to investigate a multitude of diagnostic lines within our galaxy and in extragalactic environments. The sensitivity and field-of-view (FOV) of FIFI-LS are limited by its 90s-era photoconductor arrays. These limits can be overcome by upgrading the instrument using the latest developments in Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs). KIDs provide sensitivity gains in excess of 1.4 and allow larger arrays, enabling an increase in pixel count by an order of magnitude. This increase allows a wider FOV and instantaneous velocity coverage. The upgrade provides gains in point source observation speed by a factor <2 and in mapping speed by a factor <3.5, enabled by the improved sensitivity and pixel count. This upgrade has been proposed to NASA in response to the 2018 SOFIA Next Generation Instrumentation call.
AB - We present the initial design, performance improvements and science opportunities for an upgrade to the Field-Imaging Far-Infrared Line Spectrometer (FIFI-LS). FIFI-LS efficiently measures fine structure cooling lines, delivering critical constraints of the interstellar medium and starforming environments. SOFIA provides the only FIR observational capability in the world, making FIFI-LS a workhorse for FIR lines, combining optimal spectral resolution and a wide velocity range. Its continuous coverage from 51-203 microns makes FIFI-LS a versatile tool to investigate a multitude of diagnostic lines within our galaxy and in extragalactic environments. The sensitivity and field-of-view (FOV) of FIFI-LS are limited by its 90s-era photoconductor arrays. These limits can be overcome by upgrading the instrument using the latest developments in Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs). KIDs provide sensitivity gains in excess of 1.4 and allow larger arrays, enabling an increase in pixel count by an order of magnitude. This increase allows a wider FOV and instantaneous velocity coverage. The upgrade provides gains in point source observation speed by a factor <2 and in mapping speed by a factor <3.5, enabled by the improved sensitivity and pixel count. This upgrade has been proposed to NASA in response to the 2018 SOFIA Next Generation Instrumentation call.
KW - FIFI-LS
KW - Far-Infrared
KW - Integral Field Spectroscopy
KW - Kinetic Inductance Detectors
KW - SOFIA
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100036612&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85100036612&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1117/12.2560120
DO - 10.1117/12.2560120
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85100036612
T3 - Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
BT - Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy X
A2 - Zmuidzinas, Jonas
A2 - Gao, Jian-Rong
PB - SPIE
Y2 - 14 December 2020 through 22 December 2020
ER -