Advanced Study of the Star-Formation Process by High Resolution Imaging with Far-Infrared Interferometer

本研究的目的是揭示高能天体（如恒星形成区、原行星盘和核星暴星系）周围密集尘埃云的温度分布/结构。它使我们能够在直接观测的基础上全面了解单个星际尘埃云的辐射传递过程和密度结构。由于具有代表性的尘埃温度为几十K，因此观测应在能谱有峰值的远红外波长区域进行。我们开发了一种气球载远红外空间干涉仪，这是第一个搭载在科学气球上的远红外干涉仪。第一次飞行的基线为8m，之后为20m，需要在100微米下达到1角秒的空间分辨率。除此之外，我们还发明了一种新的菲索型干涉仪的图像重建方法。延时装置是一种复杂而精密的装置，有时是星载干涉仪项目中最关键的技术难点之一。因此，新方法适用于诸如DARWIN、TPF等空间项目，仪器基本建成。然而，由于低温恒温器出现故障，首次飞行在2008年被推迟。这次飞行将在巴西与巴西空间研究所和圣保罗大学进行国际合作。预计该研究项目将继续发展，并在未来发展成为一个全球性的空间红外干涉仪项目。

The purpose of this research is to reveal the temperature distribution/structure of the dense dust clouds surrounding energetic objects, such as star-forming regions, protoplanetary disks, and nuclear starburst galaxies. It leads us to comprehensive understanding of the radiation transfer process and the density structure in individual interstellar dust clouds based on direct observation. As the representative dust temperature is a few tens K, the observation should be made in the far-infrared wavelength region where the energy spectrum has its peak. .We have developed a balloon-borne far-infrared space intereferometer as the first far-infrared interferometer onboard a scientific balloon. The baseline is 8m at the first flight and 20m later that is required to achieve the spatial resolution of 1 arc second at 100 microns. In addition to this, we invented a new image-reconstruction method of a Fizeau-type interferometer without the delayline device. The delayline device used to be a complicate and delicate device, and sometimes one of the most sritical technological hardle for space-borne interferometer projects. Therefore, the new method is applicable for space projects, such as DARWIN, TPF, etc.The instrument has almost been constructed. However, due to a malfanction of the cryostat, the first flight was postponed in 2008. This flight will be carried out in Brazil as an international collaboration with INPE (Brazilian Space Institute) and University of Sao Paolo.It is expected that this research project will be continued and expanded toward a world-wide space infrared interferometer project in future.