THz Technologies


Stabilisation of 3.5 THz quantum-cascade laser local oscillators

Fast Track – 10th Call
Lead Organisation: University of Leeds partnered by RALSpace


a proposed UK satellite mission, LOCUS (Linking Observations of Climate, the Upper atmosphere and Space weather) will deploy a multi-channel radiometer operating in the terahertz (THz) spectral range (0.8–4.7 THz) in low Earth orbit and will allow global high spectral resolution measurements of important MLT atmospheric species, particularly atomic oxygen and the hydroxyl radical.


LOCUS Preparatory Activities for EE9

Fast Track – 9th Call (Completed 2018)
Lead Organisation: STFC RAL Space partnered by University of Leeds


The aim of the study was to increase the Science Readiness Level of the ESA Earth Explorer 9 candidate mission LOCUS, a THz limb-sounder for the upper atmosphere. This is achieved by performing linear retrieval simulations to assess the retrieval errors of the mission. Crucially, this includes a first ever retrieval assessment of the key Mesosphere – Lower Thermosphere species atomic oxygen from limb remote sensing measurements.


Critical Technology Advancement of the LOCUS Mission: Towards Future Space Flight

Flagship – 8th Call (Completed 2018)
Lead Organisation: University College London partnered by STFC RAL Space, STAR-Dundee Ltd, Leeds University, Glyndwr University and JCR Systems


The LOCUS mission concept proposes to perform atmospheric limb sounding of the Earth’s Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere (hereafter MLT) at both THz frequencies and infra-red (IR) wavelengths. The scientific goals of the LOCUS mission payload can be briefly summarized as the direct correlation between THz and IR measurements of atomic and molecular species such as O, O3, OH and O2 in the MLT region, and Investigating the chemistry and formation mechanisms of Noctilucent clouds and the effect of the Sun’s CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) events and their forced auroral events on the chemical processes and energy particle precipitation.


LOCUS Critical Payload Development for Future In Orbit Demonstration

Fast Track – 7th Call (Completed 2018)
Lead Organisation: University of Leeds partnered by STFC RAL Space and Star Dundee


The CEOI is supporting the UK technical team with the advancement of the LOCUS mission concept by addressing key aspects of the payload detector and infrastructure technology. This will raise the instrumentation technical maturity to a level compliant with the in-orbit-demonstration opportunity, and will place the UK in a position of scientific and technical leadership with respect to MLT climate studies.


To view SUB-MILLIMETRE WAVE TECHNOLOGIES projects, click here

To view MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGIES projects, click here