Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: The Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver (SPIRE), is the Herschel Space Observatory`s submillimetre camera and spectrometer. It contains a three-band imaging photometer operating at 250, 350 and 500 μm, and an imaging Fourier-transform spectrometer (FTS) which covers simultaneously its whole operating range of 194–671 μm (447–1550 GHz). The SPIRE detectors are arrays of feedhorn-coupled bolometers cooled to 0.3 K. The photometer has a field of view of 4´× 8´, observed simultaneously in the three spectral bands. Its main operating mode is scan-mapping, whereby the field of view is scanned across the sky to achieve full spatial sampling and to cover large areas if desired. The spectrometer has an approximately circular field of view with a diameter of 2.6´. The spectral resolution can be adjusted between 1.2 and 25 GHz by changing the stroke length of the FTS scan mirror. Its main operating mode involves a fixed telescope pointing with multiple scans of the FTS mirror to acquire spectral data. For extended source measurements, multiple position offsets are implemented by means of an internal beam steering mirror to achieve the desired spatial sampling and by rastering of the telescope pointing to map areas larger than the field of view. The SPIRE instrument consists of a cold focal plane unit located inside the Herschel cryostat and warm electronics units, located on the spacecraft Service Module, for instrument control and data handling. Science data are transmitted to Earth with no on-board data compression, and processed by automatic pipelines to produce calibrated science products. The in-flight performance of the instrument matches or exceeds predictions based on pre-launch testing and modelling: the photometer sensitivity is comparable to or slightly better than estimated pre-launch, and the spectrometer sensitivity is also better by a factor of 1.5–2.
Source: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Authors: M. J. Griffin, A. Abergel, A. Abreu, P. A. R. Ade, P. André, J.-L. Augueres, T. Babbedge, Y. Bae, T. Baillie, J.-P. Baluteau, M. J. Barlow, G. Bendo, D. Benielli, J. J. Bock, P. Bonhomme, D. Brisbin, C. Brockley-Blatt, M. Caldwell, C. Cara, N. Castro-Rodriguez, R. Cerulli, P. Chanial, S. Chen, E. Clark, D. L. Clements, L. Clerc, J. Coker, D. Communal, L. Conversi, P. Cox, D. Crumb, C. Cunningham, F. Daly, G. R. Davis, P. De Antoni, J. Delderfield, N. Devin, A. Di Giorgio, I. Didschuns, K. Dohlen, M. Donati, A. Dowell, C. D. Dowell, L. Duband, L. Dumaye, R. J. Emery, M. Ferlet, D. Ferrand, J. Fontignie, M. Fox, A. Franceschini, M. Frerking, T. Fulton, J. Garcia, R. Gastaud, W. K. Gear, J. Glenn, A. Goizel, D. K. Griffin, T. Grundy, S. Guest, L. Guillemet, P. C. Hargrave, M. Harwit, P. Hastings, E. Hatziminaoglou, M. Herman, B. Hinde, V. Hristov, M. Huang, P. Imhof, K. J. Isaak, U. Israelsson, R. J. Ivison, D. Jennings, B. Kiernan, K. J. King, A. E. Lange, W. Latter, G. Laurent, P. Laurent, S. J. Leeks, E. Lellouch, L. Levenson, B. Li, J. Li, J. Lilienthal, T. Lim, S. J. Liu, N. Lu, S. Madden, G. Mainetti, P. Marliani, D. McKay, K. Mercier, S. Molinari, H. Morris, H. Moseley, J. Mulder, M. Mur, D. A. Naylor, H. Nguyen, B. O'Halloran, S. Oliver, G. Olofsson, H.-G. Olofsson, R. Orfei, M. J. Page, I. Pain, P. Panuzzo, A. Papageorgiou, G. Parks, P. Parr-Burman, A. Pearce, C. Pearson, I. Pérez-Fournon, F. Pinsard, G. Pisano, J. Podosek, M. Pohlen, E. T. Polehampton, D. Pouliquen, D. Rigopoulou, D. Rizzo, I. G. Roseboom, H. Roussel, M. Rowan-Robinson, B. Rownd, P. Saraceno, M. Sauvage, R. Savage, G. Savini, E. Sawyer, C. Scharmberg, D. Schmitt, N. Schneider, B. Schulz, A. Schwartz, R. Shafer, D. L. Shupe, B. Sibthorpe, S. Sidher, A. Smith, A. J. Smith, D. Smith, L. Spencer, B. Stobie, R. Sudiwala, K. Sukhatme, C. Surace, J. A. Stevens, B. M. Swinyard, M. Trichas, T. Tourette, H. Triou, S. Tseng, C. Tucker, A. Turner, M. Vaccari, I. Valtchanov, L. Vigroux, E. Virique, G. Voellmer, H. Walker, R. Ward, T. Waskett, M. Weilert, R. Wesson, G. J. White, N. Whitehouse, C. D. Wilson, B. Winter, A. L. Woodcraft, G. S. Wright, C. K. Xu, A. Zavagno, M. Zemcov, L. Zhang, E. Zonca
Institutions: Université Paris-Sud, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, European Space Astronomy Centre, Cardiff University, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Imperial College London, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Royal Observatory, UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, University College London, Cornell University, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Universidad de La Laguna, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Astronomical Observatories, CEA Grenoble, Institut Nanosciences et Cryogénie, Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique, University of Padua, University of Colorado Boulder, European Southern Observatory, California Institute of Technology, European Space Research and Technology Centre, Goddard Space Flight Center, Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, Observatoire de Paris, Laboratoire d’études spatiales et d’instrumentation en astrophysique, Centre National d'Études Spatiales, University of Lethbridge, University of Sussex, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, University of Manchester, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, University of Hertfordshire, The Open University, McMaster University
Language: English
Subfield: Instrumentation
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, California Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Science and Technology Facilities Council, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences
OpenAlex ID: W2135536375