High-Resolution Imaging Spectroscopy at Terahertz Frequencies

Robert L. Brown, Anthony R. Kerr, A. Richard Thompson, Frederic R. Schwab
1990 International Astronomical Union Colloquium  
AbstractHISAT, a multi-element heterodyne interferometer attached to Space Station Freedom, will provide spectroscopic images with unprecedented detail of those submillimeter lines of C,O and C+which are critical diagnostics of UV excitation in the Galaxy. With the arcsecond angular resolution achievable from the space station, HISAT will reveal:– The distribution of sources of ultraviolet radiation in the Galaxy;–The effective temperature of the UV radiation as a function of galactocentric
more » ... us;– The chemical and isotopic enhancement of atomic carbon and oxygen with galactic radius;– The propagation of UV radiation in molecular clouds and its stimulative, or inhibitive, effect on star formation;– The density structure, dumpiness or fragmentation, of molecular clouds throughout the Galaxy. HISAT has been selected by NASA for a concept-phase study.
doi:10.1017/s0252921100077575 fatcat:5bfbmxo6nfeiplqovankxx62xq