About this Site

The International Symposium on Space Terahertz Technology is an annual conference begun in 1990 then sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology and originally hosted by the University of Michigan. The Symposium participants gather to discuss research relevant to the generation, detection, and use of terahertz radiation.

The proceedings were originally hosted by the Center for Space Terahertz Technology at the University of Michigan. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) Library took over this responsibility in 2009. The Center for Space Terahertz was formerly one of the Space Technology University Programs affiliated with NASA and continues as a research effort into terahertz technology today. The NRAO is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

Proceedings on the Web

The effort to post these proceedings on the Internet was initially undertaken by Dr. Jack East, a faculty member of the University of Michigan College of Engineering's Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. Prior to 2000, the Proceedings were published as a bound, printed item. In 2000, CD-ROMs were distributed. Since 2006, the hosting institution has made digital Proceedings available online. This site it intended to bring all these formats together in one digital interface with enhanced search capabilities. Searchable abstract content is limitted to either the Abstract, the first paragraph or the first 1000 characters, whichever is shortest. These pages will follow the general NRAO Library editorial conventions.

A sincere thanks goes to Anthony Kerr of the NRAO for his technical expertise and consultation. NRAO has maintained a vested interest in terahertz research, especially as it applies to astronomy. The NRAO provides hosting for this site and the NRAO Library provides web administration for these Proceedings. Additional thanks are owed to the NRAO software engineers who were invaluable partners in developing enhanced search capabilities for this site.

To submit a new annual proceedings to this archive, please contact the webmaster.

What is Space Terahertz?

For those unfamiliar, Space Terahertz refers to applications of THz technology in space. The terahertz band of the electromagnetic spectrum lies in wavelength between the far-infrared and the millimeter-wave bands. Such electromagnetic waves are of longer wavelength and lower frequency than visible light, but of shorter wavelength and higher frequency than microwaves or broadcast radio waves. The term Terahertz (THz) is a unit of frequency and is equivalent to one trillion (10×10¹²) hertz (Hz). This means that a wave that has a frequency of one THz has one trillion wave cycles per second.

Since all electromagnetic radiation travels at the same speed in a given medium, e.g., air or a vacuum, the shorter the wavelength the higher the frequency. In a vacuum, radiation at 1 THz has a wavelength of about 300 micrometers. Terahertz radiation is also called submillimeter wavelength radiation, and is usually characterized by its wavelength (in vacuo) in micrometers or its frequency in terahertz.

Terahertz technology is used in molecular spectroscopy, radio astronomy, and atmospheric physics. Terahertz radiation emitted by celestial objects is of interest to astronomers and astrophysicists for the information it provides on their properties. Astronomical observations at THz frequencies are complementary to optical and lower-frequency radio observations. In atmospheric physics, terahertz technology can be used to study the Earth's atmosphere.

Back to the Top

Help us improve this site.

The NRAO ISSTT Proceedings is a collection of the papers from all proceedings of the International Symposium on Space Terahertz Technology. These ISSTT papers cover such topics as HEB mixers, diodoes, bolometers, SIS mixers, waveguides, arrays, and the applications of these technologies across varied industries. The site is administered by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Library.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation
operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.