First light results from a novel cryogenic Fabry-Pérot interferometer
Citation
D. Naylor*, I. Veenendaal, T. Fulton, B. Gom, A. Christiansen, W. Jellema, C. Feenstra, M. Eggens, and P. Ade. "First light results from a novel cryogenic Fabry-Pérot interferometer". In: 44th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves, pp. 1-2, 2019. Paris, France. DOI: 10.1109/IRMMW-THz.2019.8874094.
Conference Proceedings Presentation
Abstract
The sensitivity of state-of-the-art superconducting far-infrared detectors is such that astronomical observations at these wavelengths are limited by photon noise from the astronomical source unless a method of restricting the spectral bandpass is employed. One such method is to use a high resolution Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) in conjunction with a lower resolution, post-dispersing system, such as a grating spectrometer. The resonant wavelength of an FPI is typically tuned by changing the spacing or medium between the parallel reflecting plates of the etalon. We previously reported on a novel design in which the wavelength is tuned by scanning the angle of incidence, which simplifies the cryo-mechanical design, actuation and metrology. Here we present first light results from the realized instrument.