A field-deployed 810 GHz receiver incorporating a superconducting mixer developed for Herschel space telescope and a SiGe low noise amplifier

Abstract

We have constructed an 810 GHz receiver system incorporating a HIFI Band-3 superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixer developed for Herschel space observatory and a wide-band SiGe low noise amplifier (LNA) designed at Caltech. The instrument is currently installed at the RLT telescope (elevation 5500 m) in northern Chile. Hot/cold (280K/72K) load measurements performed at the telescope yield noise temperatures of 225 K (Y-factor = 1.7) including receiver optics. First-light observations indicate that the receiver is highly sensitive and functions stably. We present details of the receiver system, its performance at the telescope, and first-light observations with a Herschel mixer.

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