In-orbit performance of Herschel-HIFI^⋆

¹ SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Landleven 12, 9747 AD Groningen, The Netherlands
e-mail: p.r.roelfsema@sron.nl
² European Space Astronomy Centre, ESA, PO Box 78, 28691 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain
³ KOSMA, I. Physik. Institut, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Str. 77, 50937 Köln, Germany
⁴ NHSC, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
⁵ Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Göteborg, Sweden
⁶ Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, 53121 Bonn, Germany
⁷ Université de Toulouse, UPS-OMP, IRAP, Toulouse, France
⁸ CNRS, IRAP, 9 Av. colonel Roche, BP 44346, 31028 Toulouse Cedex 4, France
⁹ Max-Planck Institute für Sonnensystemforschung, 37191 Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany
¹⁰ Laboratoire d’Études du Rayonnement et de la Matière en Astrophysique, UMR 8112 CNRS/INSU, OP, ENS, UPMC, UCP, Paris, France
¹¹ Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri-INAF- Largo E. Fermi 5, 50100 Florence, Italy
¹² Institute Fisica Spazio Interplanetario INAF, via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
¹³ Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
¹⁴ Astronomical Institute, ETH, Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
¹⁵ Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Ctra de Torrejón a Ajalvir, km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
¹⁶ Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
¹⁷ Joint Alma Observatory, Santiago, Chile
¹⁸ Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, PO Box 9513, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands
¹⁹ Physics Department, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
²⁰ Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Bartycka 18A, 00-716 Warsaw, Poland
²¹ Dept. of Experimental Physics, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
²² Université de Bordeaux, Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l’Univers, 2 rue de l’Observatoire, BP 89, 33 271 Floirac Cedex, France
²³ CNRS, UMR 5804, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux, 2 rue de l’Observatoire, BP 89, 33 271 Floirac Cedex, France
²⁴ National Observatory of Athens, Greece
²⁵ Jet Propulsion Laboratories, Pasadena, California, USA
²⁶ LERMA-LRA, UMR 8112 du CNRS, Observatoire de Paris, École Normale Supérieure, UPMC & UCP, rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
²⁷ Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, Landleven 12, 9747 AD Groningen, The Netherlands
²⁸ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for Astronomy, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
²⁹ Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
³⁰ UJF-Grenoble, CNRS-INSU, Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG) UMR 5274, 38041 Grenoble, France
³¹ Astronomical Institute “Anton Pannekoek”, University of Amsterdam, Science Park XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
³² Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul Rabiańska 8, 87-100 Torún, Poland

Received: 31 May 2010
Accepted: 7 September 2011

Abstract

Aims. In this paper the calibration and in-orbit performance of the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI) is described.

Methods. The calibration of HIFI is based on a combination of ground and in-flight tests. Dedicated ground tests to determine those instrument parameters that can only be measured accurately using controlled laboratory stimuli were carried out in the instrument level test (ILT) campaign. Special in-flight tests during the commissioning phase (CoP) and performance verification (PV) allowed the determination of the remaining instrument parameters. The various instrument observing modes, as specified in astronomical observation templates (AOTs), were validated in parallel during PV by observing selected celestial sources.

Results. The initial calibration and in-orbit performance of HIFI has been established. A first estimate of the calibration budget is given. The overall in-flight instrument performance agrees with the original specification. Issues remain at only a few frequencies.