Completing ZEUS-2: Revealing the Starformation History of the Universe

几个波长的深度观测表明，早期的宇宙与我们今天所经历的宇宙非常不同。太空中挤满了新形成的星系，这些星系正以惊人的速度形成恒星——有时会同时在整个星系中形成恒星，中心的黑洞正在迅速消耗最内部区域的气体和恒星。活跃的位置被尘埃严重地包裹着，所以今天的辐射最容易在远红外和亚毫米光谱区域被探测到，特别是对于高红移的物体。由康奈尔大学G. Stacey博士领导的团队建造的亚毫米光栅光谱仪ZEUS-2特别适合研究遥远星系的这些活跃区域。它提供了非常高的灵敏度、多目标能力和足够高的光谱分辨率，可以通过产生的发射线来评估恒星形成区域的条件。Stacey现在打算用第二个过渡边缘传感器（TES）探测器阵列完成ZEUS-2，用于215/645微米区域，以及相关的光学和电子设备来操作该通道。新功能打开了200至850微米的光谱窗口，并对[N II]， CO和[CI]的几个重要谱线进行了采样，这些谱线可以诊断发射气体中的物理条件（温度，密度等）。由于该仪器在单阵列模式下已经完全发挥作用，Stacey的技术团队的技能得到了证明，双探测器系统的目标相对简单。TES阵列是尖端技术，需要整合工业、国家中心和学术界的关键要素。事实上，ZEUS仪器作为一个整体为年轻科学家和学生在最先进的电子和仪器方面的培训提供了一个肥沃的环境，本科生将进行升级项目的几个关键方面。这项工作的资金由美国国家科学基金会天文科学部通过其先进技术和仪器项目提供。

Deep observational surveys at several wavelengths have shown that the early universe was a very different place than what we experience today. Space was crowded with newly-formed galaxies, those galaxies were forming stars at a prodigious rate - sometimes throughout the galaxy at once, and central black holes were rapidly consuming gas and stars in the innermost regions. Active sites were heavily enshrouded by dust, so today radiation is most easily detected in the far-infrared and sub-mm spectral regions, especially for objects at high redshift. The sub-mm grating spectrometer ZEUS-2, constructed by a team led by Dr. G. Stacey at Cornell University, is especially well-suited to studying these active regions of distant galaxies. It offers very high sensitivity, multi-object capability, and spectral resolution high enough to evaluate the conditions in the star-forming regions through the emission lines that are produced.Dr. Stacey now intends to complete ZEUS-2 with a second Transition Edge Sensor (TES) detector array for the region 215/645 microns, as well as associated optics and electronics to operate this channel. The new capability opens spectral windows from 200 to 850 microns and samples several important lines of [N II], CO, and [CI], which are diagnostic of the physical conditions (temperature, density, etc.) in the emitting gas. Because the instrument is already fully functional in its single-array mode, the skills of Stacey's technical team are proven, and the goal of a two-detector system is relatively straightforward.The TES arrays are cutting edge technology requiring the integration of key elements from industry, national centers, and academia. Indeed, the ZEUS instrument as a whole provides a fertile environment for the training of young scientists and students in state-of-the-art electronics and instrumentation, and undergraduate students will carry out several of the key aspects of the upgrade project. Funding for this work is being provided by NSF's Division of Astronomical Sciences through its Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation program.