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Science 6 February 1981:
Vol. 211. no. 4482, pp. 580 - 582
DOI: 10.1126/science.211.4482.580
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Articles

Submillimeter Heterodyne Detection of Interstellar Carbon Monoxide at 434 Micrometers

H. R. FETTERMAN 1, G. A. KOEPF 2, P. F. GOLDSMITH 3, B. J. CLIFTON 4, D. BUHL 5, N. R. ERICKSON 6, D. D. PECK 4, N. McAVOY 7, and P. E. TANNENWALD 4

1 Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lexington 02173
2 Phoenix Corporation, 1700 Old Meadow Road, McLean, Virginia 22120
3 Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003
4 Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
5 NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771
6 Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory, University of Massachusetts
7 NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

A submillimeter heterodyne radiometer, developed for astronomical applications, uses an optically pumped laser local oscillator and a quasi-optical Schottky diode mixer. The resultant telescope-mounted system, which has a noise temperature less than 4000 K (double sideband) and high frequency and spatial resolution, has been used to detect the J = 6 rarr 5 rotational transition of carbon monoxide at 434 micrometers in the Orion molecular cloud. The measurements, when compared with previous millimeter-wave data, indicate that the broad carbon monoxide emission feature is produced by an optically thin gas whose temperature exceeds 180 K.

Submitted on September 19, 1980
Revised on November 24, 1980

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)