The SAFARI imaging spectrometer was the European image sensor of Japanese infrared telescope SPICA (Space Infra-Red Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics telescope) and is being developed under the leadership of SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research. SAFARI is an

infrared camera Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

with about 6,000 pixels that can make real ‘photos’ of the sky in three adjacent wavelength areas.

Fourier transform spectroscopy Fourier-transform spectroscopy is a measurement technique whereby spectra are collected based on measurements of the coherence of a radiative source, using time-domain or space-domain measurements of the radiation, electromagnetic or not. It ca ...

(FTS) obtains detailed spectral information, allowing astronomers to determine the chemical composition of the observed celestial sources. The

Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek (TNO; en, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) is an independent research organisation in the Netherlands that focuses on applied science. The organisat ...

(TNO) is developing the mechanism of this FTS. Tes-detector safari 2

SRON's leading role in the development of SAFARI is mainly due to the infrared detectors developed by SRON scientists. Extremely sensitive detectors must be used in SAFARI to gain maximum benefit from the low infrared emissions of SPICA's cooled mirror. In June 2010, an international evaluation committee selected, out of four different technologies, the

transition-edge sensor A transition-edge sensor (TES) is a type of cryogenic energy sensor or cryogenic particle detector that exploits the strongly temperature-dependent resistance of the superconducting phase transition. History The first demonstrations of the super ...

(TES) detectors from SRON together with the associated readout electronics.

No longer blinded by the mirror

The 3.2 meter diameter mirror of

SPICA Spica is the brightest object in the constellation of Virgo and one of the 20 brightest stars in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation α Virginis, which is Latinised to Alpha Virginis and abbreviated Alpha Vir or α Vir. Anal ...

would be cooled to almost absolute zero (-273 °C). Consequently, the detectors would not be ‘blinded’ by the heat radiation emitted by the mirror itself and the instruments could detect even weaker infrared sources than the most sensitive instruments on board ESA's infrared

Herschel Space Observatory The Herschel Space Observatory was a space observatory built and operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). It was active from 2009 to 2013, and was the largest infrared telescope ever launched until the launch of the James Webb Space Telesco ...

can. The telescope would see sources at the level of the

cosmic background radiation Cosmic background radiation is electromagnetic radiation from the Big Bang. The origin of this radiation depends on the region of the spectrum that is observed. One component is the cosmic microwave background. This component is redshifted ph ...

in the wavelength range between 30 and 210 μm. Launch was originally planned in 2018.

Successor to HIFI instrument

SAFARI is the immediate successor to SRON's molecule hunter HIFI on board the infrared telescope Herschel. This new infrared imaging spectrometer can fully utilize the ultra-sensitive TES detectors in combination with SPICA's extremely cold mirror to look even deeper into the far-infrared universe than HIFI. SAFARI will search for the first galaxies to determine how they were formed and how they evolve. Nearer by the instrument will be used to study the ice and water vapor in protoplanetary discs – the physical and chemical conditions in these protoplanetary discs ultimately determine the formation of planets.

Leading role of SRON

The SAFARI project is complex from both a technological and organizational viewpoint. As Principal Investigator, SRON coordinates the collaboration between the large number of international partners (including Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA and European Space Agency ESA). In addition to this, SRON is responsible for the further development and testing of the detectors for SAFARI (an SRON/UK joint venture), the optomechanics, the quality control, the construction and the system testing for the entire instrument. TNO is one of the partners in the project.

References

{{reflist
SPICA Mission Summary at ESA

External links

SRON site
- JAXA Science and technology in the Netherlands 1983 establishments in the Netherlands