SOFIA Horsehead nebula region datacube

The receiver uses 2x7-pixel subarrays in orthogonal polarization, each in an hexagonal array around a central pixel. We present the first results for this new instrument after commissioning campaigns in May and December 2015 and after science observations performed in May 2016.

The receiver is designed to ultimately cover the full 1.8-2.5THz frequency range but in its first implementation, the observing range was limited to observations of the [CII] line at 1.9THz in 2015 and extended to 1.83-2.07THz in 2016. The instrument sensitivities are state-of-the-art and the first scientific observations performed shortly after the commissioning confirm that the time electronic efficiency for large scale imaging is improved by more than an order of magnitude as compared to single pixel receivers.