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Supercam, As 64-Pixel Heterodyne Imaging Array For The 870 Micron Atmospheric Window, Christopher Groppi, Christopher Walker, Craig Kulesa, Patrick Putz, Dathon Golish, Paul Gensheimer, Abigail Hedden, Shane Bussmann, Sander Weinreb, Thomas Kuiper, Jacob Kooi, Glenn Jones, Joseph Bardin, Hamdi Mani, Arthur Lichtenberger, Gopal Narayanan

Gopal Narayanan

We report on the development of SuperCam , a 64 pixel, superheterodyne camera designed for operation in the astrophysically important 870 μm atmospheric window. SuperCam will be used to answer fundamental questions about the physics and chemistry of molecular clouds in the Galaxy and their direct relation to star and planet formation. The advent of such a system will provide an order of magnitude increase in mapping speed over what is now available and revolutionize how observational astronomy is performed in this important wavelength regime. Unlike the situation with bolometric detectors, heterodyne receiver systems are coherent, retaining information about both …