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Submillimeter and Far-InfraRed Experiment (SAFIRE): A PI class instrument for SOFIA

R. A. Shafer, S. H. Moseley,, P. A. R. Ade, D. J. Benford, G. Bjoraker, E. Dwek, D. A. Neufeld, F. Pajot, T. G. Phillips, G. J. Stacey

astro-pharXiv:astro-ph/0003387

Abstract

SAFIRE is a versatile imaging Fabry-Perot spectrograph covering 145 to 655 microns, with spectral resolving powers ranging over 5-10,000. Selected as a "PI" instrument for the airborne Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), SAFIRE will apply two-dimensional pop-up bolometer arrays to provide background-limited imaging spectrometry. Superconducting transition edge bolometers and SQUID multiplexers are being developed for these detectors. SAFIRE is expected to be a "First Light" instrument, useable during the initial SOFIA operations. Although a PI instrument rather than a "Facility Class" science instrument, it will be highly integrated with the standard SOFIA planning, observation, and data analysis tools.

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