We present a new multi-pixel high resolution (R > ∼ 10 7 ) spectrometer for the Stratospheric Observatory for Far-Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). The receiver uses 2 × 7-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 1.8−2.5 THz frequency range but in its first implementation, the observing range was limited to observations of the [CII] line at 1.9 THz in 2015 and extended to 1.83−2.07 THz in 2016. The instrument sensitivities are state-of-the-art and the first scientific observations performed shortly after the commissioning confirm that the time efficiency for large scale imaging is improved by more than an order of magnitude as compared to single pixel receivers. An example of large scale mapping around the Horsehead Nebula is presented here illustrating this improvement. The array has been added to SOFIA's instrument suite already for ongoing observing cycle 4.

We present the performance of the upGREAT heterodyne array receivers on the SOFIA telescope after several years of operations. This instrument is a multi-pixel high resolution (R 10 7 ) spectrometer for the Stratospheric Observatory for Far-Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). The receivers use 7-pixel subarrays configured in a hexagonal layout around a central pixel. The low frequency array receiver (LFA) has 2x7 pixels (dual polarization), and presently covers the 1.83-2.06 THz frequency range, which allows to observe the [CII] and [OI] lines at 158 µm and 145 µm wavelengths. The high frequency array (HFA) covers the [OI] line at 63 µm and is equipped with one polarization at the moment (7 pixels, which can be upgraded in the near future with a second polarization array). The 4.7 THz array has successfully flown using two separate quantum-cascade laser local oscillators from two different groups. NASA completed the development, integration and testing of a dual-channel closed-cycle cryocooler system, with two independently operable He compressors, aboard SOFIA in early 2017 and since then, both arrays can be operated in parallel using a frequency separating dichroic mirror. This configuration is now the prime GREAT configuration and has been added to SOFIA's instrument suite since observing cycle 6.

Abstract-We present the upGREAT THz heterodyne arrays for far-infrared astronomy. The Low Frequency Array (LFA) is designed to cover the 1.9-2.5 THz range using 2x7-pixel waveguide-based HEB mixer arrays in a dual polarization configuration. The High Frequency Array (HFA) will perform observations of the [OI] line at ~4.745 THz using a 7-pixel waveguide-based HEB mixer array. This paper describes the common design for both arrays, cooled to 4.5 K using closedcycle pulse tube technology. We then show the laboratory and telescope characterization of the first array with its 14 pixels (LFA), which culminated in the successful commissioning in May 2015 aboard the SOFIA airborne observatory observing the [CII] fine structure transition at 1.905 THz. This is the first successful demonstration of astronomical observations with a heterodyne focal plane array above 1 THz and is also the first time highpower closed-cycle coolers for temperatures below 4.5 K are operated on an airborne platform.

Context. The [C ii] 158 µm fine structure line is one of the dominant cooling lines in star-forming active regions. Together with models of photon-dominated regions, the data is used to constrain the physical properties of the emitting regions, such as the density and the radiation field strength. According to the modeling, the [C ii] 158 µm line integrated intensity compared to the CO emission is expected to be stronger in lower metallicity environments owing to lower dust shielding of the UV radiation, a trend that is also shown by spectral-unresolved observations. In the commonly assumed clumpy UV-penetrated cloud scenario, the models predict a [C ii] line profile similar to that of CO. However, recent spectral-resolved observations by Herschel/HIFI and SOFIA/GREAT (as well as the observations presented here) show that the velocity resolved line profile of the [C ii] emission is often very different from that of CO lines, indicating a more complex origin of the line emission including the dynamics of the source region. Aims. The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) provides an excellent opportunity to study in great detail the physics of the interstellar medium (ISM) in a low-metallicity environment by spatially resolving individual star-forming regions. The aim of our study is to investigate the physical properties of the star-forming ISM in the LMC by separating the origin of the emission lines spatially and spectrally. In this paper, we focus on the spectral characteristics and the origin of the emission lines, and the phases of carbon-bearing species in the N159 star-forming region in the LMC. Methods. We mapped a 4 ′ ×(3 ′ -4 ′ ) region in N159 in [C ii] 158 µm and [N ii] 205 µm with the GREAT instrument on board SOFIA. We also observed CO(3-2), (4-3), (6-5), 13 CO(3-2), and [C i] 3 P 1 -3 P 0 and 3 P 2 -3 P 1 with APEX. All spectra are velocity resolved. Results. The emission of all transitions observed shows a large variation in the line profiles across the map and in particular between the different species. At most positions the [C ii] emission line profile is substantially wider than that of CO and [C i]. We estimated the fraction of the [C ii] integrated line emission that cannot be fitted by the CO line profile to be 20% around the CO cores, and up to 50% at the area between the cores, indicating a gas component that has a much larger velocity dispersion than the ones probed by the CO and [C i] emission. We derived the relative contribution from C + , C, and CO to the column density in each velocity bin. The result clearly shows that the contribution from C + dominates the velocity range far from the the velocities traced by the dense molecular gas. Spatially, the region located between the CO cores of N159 W and E has a higher fraction of C + over the whole velocity range. We estimate the contribution of the ionized gas to the [C ii] emission using the ratio to the [N ii] emission, and find that the ionized gas contributes ≤ 19% to the [C ii] emission at its peak position, and ≤ 15% over the whol...

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