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An angle-scanned cryogenic Fabry–Pérot interferometer for far-infrared astronomy

Veenendaal, Ian, Naylor, David, Gom, Brad, Christiansen, Adam, Jellema, Willem, Feenstra, Carolien, Ridder, Marcel, Eggens, Martin and Ade, Peter ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5127-0401 2020. An angle-scanned cryogenic Fabry–Pérot interferometer for far-infrared astronomy. Review of Scientific Instruments 91 (8) , 083108. 10.1063/5.0012432

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Abstract

The sensitivity of state-of-the-art superconducting far-infrared detectors used in conjunction with cryogenically cooled space telescopes and instrumentation is such that spectroscopic observations are generally limited by photon noise from the astronomical source or by galactic foreground or zodiacal emission within the field-of-view. Therefore, an instrument design that restricts the spectral bandpass viewed by the detector must be employed. One method of achieving background limited, high resolution spectroscopy is to combine a high resolution component such as a Fabry–Pérot interferometer (FPI) with a lower resolution, post-dispersing system, such as a grating spectrometer, the latter serving to restrict the spectral bandpass. The resonant wavelength of an FPI is most often tuned by changing the spacing or medium between the parallel reflecting plates of the etalon. In this paper, we present a novel design for an FPI in which the wavelength is tuned by scanning the angle of incidence on a high refractive index etalon. This concept simplifies the cryomechanical design, actuation, and metrology. The first results from the realized instrument are presented and compared with theory. The effects on the spectral response as a function of the incident angle have been simulated and shown to agree well with the observation.

Item Type: Article
Date Type: Published Online
Status: Published
Schools: Physics and Astronomy
Publisher: AIP Publishing
ISSN: 0034-6748
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 17 September 2020
Date of Acceptance: 20 August 2020
Last Modified: 15 May 2023 03:18
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/134919

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