Dr Neil Trappe
Senior Lecturer
Department of Experimental Physics
National University of Maynooth
Ireland
Biography
Neil Trappe graduated with a B.Sc. in Applied Physics from the University of Limerick in 1998. He completed a Ph.D. in long wavelength optical analysis techniques in the Experimental Physics Department at NUI Maynooth in January 2002, before continuing to work in this research area as a Post-doctoral Research Associate until June 2003 on the HIFI instrument for the Herschel Space Observatory. Currently he is employed as a Senior Lecturer in the Experimental Physics Department, and has been appointed as First Year Course Co-ordinator. His research interests are in the field of far-infrared space optics. He has worked on the HIFI instrument for the Herschel Space Observatory (ESA PRODEX funded), Band 5 & 9 optical design for ALMA (SFI Research Frontiers funded) and currently is working on and managing a number of Technical Research Projects for the European Space Agency. This work is the develop of efficient analysis techniques and instrument design.
Research Interest
Infrared Astronomy requires the detection of weak infrared radiation (heat energy) emitted from various interesting objects in the Universe. As every object with temperatures above absolute zero radiates even very cold objects glow emitting different types of EM radiation. Colder objects emit at longer wavelengths and so Far-Infrared Astronomy involves the study objects which are much too cool and faint to be detected with visible light. These include cool stars, infrared galaxies, clouds of particles around stars, nebulae, interstellar molecules, brown dwarfs and planets. We design, simulate and measure detection/receiver systems and telescopes for FarIR or Terahertz astronomy in the Experimental Physics Department at Maynooth University. We work on a number of international collaborations in this field.
Publications
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'The optimisation, design and verification of feed horn structures for future Cosmic Microwave Background missions' McCarthy D, Trappe N, Murphy JA, O'Sullivan C, Gradziel M, Doherty S, Huggard P,van der Vorst M, (2016) 'The optimisation, design and verification of feed horn structures for future Cosmic Microwave Background missions'. Infrared Physics and Technology, 76 :32-37
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Optical performance of an ultra-sensitive horn-coupled transition-edge-sensor bolometer with hemispherical backshort in the far infrared' Audley MD;de Lange G;Gao JR;Khosropanah P;Hijmering R;Ridder M;Mauskopf PD;Morozov D;Trappe NA;Doherty S; (2016) 'Optical performance of an ultra-sensitive horn-coupled transition-edge-sensor bolometer with hemispherical backshort in the far infrared'. Review of Scientific Instruments, 87 (4)
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'Propagation at THz Frequencies' Raisanen A.V.; Lioubtchenko D.; Generalov A.; Murphy J.A.; O'Sullivan C.; Gradziel M.; Trappe N.; Garcia-Munoz L.E.; Garcia-Lamerez A.; Montero-de-Paz J. (2015) 'Propagation at THz Frequencies' In: Carpintero G.; Garcia-Munoz L.E.; Hartnagel H.L.; Preu S.; Raisanen A.V (eds). Semiconductor Terahertz Technology: Devices and Systems at Room Temperature Operation. Chichester, UK: John Wiley - IEEE Press.
