Open Access
23 March 2021 Far-infrared imager and polarimeter for the Origins Space Telescope
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Abstract

The far-infrared imager and polarimeter (FIP) for the Origins Space Telescope (Origins) is a basic far-infrared imager and polarimeter. The camera will deliver continuum images and polarization measurements at 50 and 250  μm. Currently available detector technologies provide sufficient sensitivity for background limited observations from space, at least on a single pixel basis. FIP incorporates large next-generation superconducting detector arrays and our technology development plan will push the pixel numbers for the arrays to the required size of 8000. Two superconducting detector technologies are currently candidates for the instrument: transition edge sensors or microwave kinetic inductance devices. Using these detectors and taking advantage of the cryogenic telescope that is provided by Origins, FIP will achieve mapping speeds of up to eight orders of magnitude faster than what has been achieved by existing observatories. The science drivers for FIP include observations of solar system objects, dust properties, and magnetic field studies of the nearby interstellar medium, and large scale galaxy surveys to better constrain the star formation history of the universe to address one of the main themes of Origins: “How does the Universe work?” In addition to the science, the FIP instrument plays a critical functional role in aligning the mirrors during on orbit observatory commissioning.

CC BY: © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.
Johannes Staguhn, Edward Amatucci, Damon Bradley, David Chuss, James Corsetti, Mike DiPirro, Dale Fixsen, Joseph Howard, David Leisawitz, S. Harvey Moseley, Margaret Meixner, Alexandra Pope, Joaquin Vieira, Edward Wollack, and the Origins Space Telescope Mission Concept Study Team "Far-infrared imager and polarimeter for the Origins Space Telescope," Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 7(1), 011016 (23 March 2021). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JATIS.7.1.011016
Received: 16 June 2020; Accepted: 26 February 2021; Published: 23 March 2021
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KEYWORDS
Sensors

Polarimetry

Space telescopes

Imaging systems

Observatories

Telescopes

Galactic astronomy

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