Cherednichenko, S., Kroug, M., Khosropanah, P., Adam, A., Merkel, H., Kolberg, E., et al. (2002). A broadband terahertz heterodyne receiver with an NbN HEB mixer. In Harward University (Ed.), Proc. 13th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 85–95). Cambridge, MA, USA.
Abstract: We present a broadband and low noise heterodyne receiver for 1.4-1.7 THz designed for the Hershel Space Observatory. A phonon- cooled NbN HEB mixer was integrated with a normal metal double- slot antenna and an elliptical silicon lens. DSB receiver noise temperature Tr was measured from 1 GHz through 8GHz intermediate frequency band with 50 MHz instantaneous bandwidth. At 4.2 K bath temperature and at 1.6 THz LO frequency Tr is 800 K with the receiver noise bandwidth of 5 GHz. While at 2 K bath temperature Tr was as low as 700 K. At 0.6 THz and 1.1 THz a spiral antenna integrated NbN HEB mixer showed the receiver noise temperature 500 K and 800 K, though no antireflection coating was used in this case. Tr of 1100 K was achieved at 2.5 THz while the receiver noise bandwidth was 4 GHz.
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Tong, C. E., Trifonov, A., Blundell, R., Shurakov, A., & Gol’tsman, G. (2014). A digital terahertz power meter based on an NbN thin film. In Proc. 25th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (170).
Abstract: We have further studied the effect of subjecting a superconducting Hot Electron Bolometer (HEB) element made from an NbN thin film to microwave radiation. Since the photon energy is weak, the microwave radiation does not simply heat the film, but generates a bi-static state, switching between the superconducting and normal states, upon the application of a small voltage bias. Indeed, a relaxation oscillation of a few MHz has previously been reported in this regime [1]. Switching between the superconducting and normal states modulates the reflected microwave pump power from the device. A simple homodyne setup readily recovers the spontaneous switching waveform in the time domain. The switching frequency is a function of both the bias voltage (DC heating) and the applied microwave power. In this work, we use a 0.8 THz HEB waveguide mixer for the purpose of demonstration. The applied microwave pump, coupled through a directional coupler, is at 1 GHz. Since the pump power is of the order of a few μW, a room temperature amplifier is sufficient to amplify the reflected pump power from the HEB mixer, which beats with the microwave source in a homodyne set-up. After further amplification, the switching waveform is passed onto a frequency counter. The typical frequency of the switching pulses is 3-5 MHz. It is found that the digital frequency count increases with higher microwave pump power. When the HEB mixer is subjected to additional optical power at 0.8 THz, the frequency count also increases. When we vary the incident optical power by using a wire grid attenuator, a linear relationship is observed between the frequency count and the applied optical power, over at least an order of magnitude of power. This phenomenon can be exploited to develop a digital power meter, using a very simple electronics setup. Further experiments are under way to determine the range of linearity and the accuracy of calibration transfer from the microwave to the THz regime. References 1. Y. Zhuang, and S. Yngvesson, “Detection and interpretation of bistatic effects in NbN HEB devices,” Proc. 13 th Int. Symp. Space THz Tech., 2002, pp. 463–472.
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Khosropanah, P., Merkel, H., Yngvesson, S., Adam, A., Cherednichenko, S., & Kollberg, E. (2000). A distributed device model for phonon-cooled HEB mixers predicting IV characteristics, gain, noise and IF bandwidth. In Proc. 11th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 474–488). University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA.
Abstract: A distributed model for phonon-cooled superconductor hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixers is given, which is based on solving the one-dimensional heat balance equation for the electron temperature profile along the superconductor strip. In this model it is assumed that the LO power is absorbed uniformly along the bridge but the DC power absorption depends on the local resistivity and is thus not uniform. The electron temperature dependence of the resistivity is assumed to be continuous and has a Fermi form. These assumptions are used in setting up the non-linear heat balance equation, which is solved numerically for the electron temperature profile along the bolometer strip. Based on this profile the resistance of the device and the IV curves are calculated. The IV curves are in excellent agreement with measurement results. Using a small signal model the conversion gain of the mixer is obtained. The expressions for Johnson noise and thermal fluctuation noise are derived. The calculated results are in close agreement with measurements, provided that one of the parameters used is adjusted.
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Pineda, J. L., Langer, W. D., Velusamy, T., & Goldsmith, P. F. (2013). A Herschel [C ii] Galactic plane survey. I. The global distribution of ISM gas components. Astron. Astrophys., 554, A103.
Abstract: Context. The [C ii] 158 μm line is an important tool for understanding the life cycle of interstellar matter. Ionized carbon is present in a variety of phases of the interstellar medium (ISM), including the diffuse ionized medium, warm and cold atomic clouds, clouds in transition from atomic to molecular, and dense and warm photon dominated regions.
Aims. Velocity-resolved observations of [C ii] are the most powerful technique available to disentangle the emission produced by these components. These observations can also be used to trace CO-dark H2 gas and determine the total mass of the ISM.
Methods. The Galactic Observations of Terahertz C+ (GOT C+) project surveys the [C ii] 158 μm line over the entire Galactic disk with velocity-resolved observations using the Herschel/HIFI instrument. We present the first longitude-velocity maps of the [C ii] emission for Galactic latitudes b = 0°, ±0.5°, and ±1.0°. We combine these maps with those of H i, 12CO, and 13CO to separate the different phases of the ISM and study their properties and distribution in the Galactic plane.
Results. [C ii] emission is mostly associated with spiral arms, mainly emerging from Galactocentric distances between 4 and 10 kpc. It traces the envelopes of evolved clouds as well as clouds that are in the transition between atomic and molecular. We estimate that most of the observed [C ii] emission is produced by dense photon dominated regions (~47%), with smaller contributions from CO-dark H2 gas (~28%), cold atomic gas (~21%), and ionized gas (~4%). Atomic gas inside the Solar radius is mostly in the form of cold neutral medium (CNM), while the warm neutral medium gas dominates the outer galaxy. The average fraction of CNM relative to total atomic gas is ~43%. We find that the warm and diffuse CO-dark H2 is distributed over a larger range of Galactocentric distances (4–11 kpc) than the cold and dense H2 gas traced by 12CO and 13CO (4–8 kpc). The fraction of CO-dark H2 to total H2 increases with Galactocentric distance, ranging from ~20% at 4 kpc to ~80% at 10 kpc. On average, CO-dark H2 accounts for ~30% of the molecular mass of the Milky Way. When the CO-dark H2 component is included, the radial distribution of the CO-to-H2 conversion factor is steeper than that when only molecular gas traced by CO is considered. Most of the observed [C ii] emission emerging from dense photon dominated regions is associated with modest far-ultraviolet fields in the range χ0 â‰<192> 1 – 30.
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Justtanont, K., Decin, L., Schöier, F. L., Maercker, M., Olofsson, H., Bujarrabal, V., et al. (2010). A HIFI preview of warm molecular gas around χ Cygni: first detection of H2O emission toward an S-type AGB star. Astron. Astrophys., 521, L6.
Abstract: Aims. A set of new, sensitive, and spectrally resolved, sub-millimeter line observations are used to probe the warm circumstellar gas around the S-type AGB star χ Cyg. The observed lines involve high rotational quantum numbers, which, combined with previously obtained lower-frequency data, make it possible to study in detail the chemical and physical properties of, essentially, the entire circumstellar envelope of χ Cyg.
Methods. The data were obtained using the HIFI instrument aboard Herschel, whose high spectral resolution provides valuable information about the line profiles. Detailed, non-LTE, radiative transfer modelling, including dust radiative transfer coupled with a dynamical model, has been performed to derive the temperature, density, and velocity structure of the circumstellar envelope.
Results. We report the first detection of circumstellar H2O rotational emission lines in an S-star. Using the high-J CO lines to derive the parameters for the circumstellar envelope, we modelled both the ortho- and para-H2O lines. Our modelling results are consistent with the velocity structure expected for a dust-driven wind. The derived total H2O abundance (relative to H2) is (1.1±0.2) × 10-5, much lower than that in O-rich stars. The derived ortho-to-para ratio of 2.1±0.6 is close to the high-temperature equilibrium limit, consistent with H2O being formed in the photosphere.
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