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THz Heterodyne Receivers for the Study of Planet Atmospheres and Astrophysics Applications
Both interstellar medium and planetary atmospheres are incredibly rich in molecular species with spectral rotational and vibrational signatures that lie in the 0.5–5THz frequency range. Submillimeter and THz heterodyne receivers allow us not only to trace minor and major molecular species but also their dynamics. Both superconductor and semiconductor technology development foster the deployment of these spaceborne high spectral resolution instruments in the THz frequency range. In this presentation, we focus on the THz semiconductor Schottky junction used both as a low noise, room temperature mixer commonly used for studies of the atmosphere of planets as well as for Earth observations. These junctions are also used as multipliers for the generation of high spectral purity signals (local oscillator) required to down-convert the astronomical signal to a lower frequency beat signal thus allowing high spectral resolution THz observations of the Interstellar Medium, for example. In particular, the Observatory of Paris has designed, fabricated, developed and qualified the 1200GHz front-end of the Submillimeter Wave Instrument (SWI) of the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE) European Space Agency (ESA) mission launched in April 2022. We discuss some of the design and qualification aspects of the MMICs developed and taking place in the THz instrumentation group in Paris, France, as well as our current work and preparations for future space applications, such as our participation in the Far-IR Spectroscopy Space Telescope (FIRSST) proposal submitted to NASA for the APEX/probe call.