New Experimental Possibilities and the Future at Far IR Wavelengths

Abstract

The observation of molecular phenomena in interstellar clouds by spectroscopy in the longer wavelength region of the infrared is discussed. This is a region where sensitivity is almost universally affected by background continua, appropriate techniques may be either coherent or incoherent, and work above most of the atmosphere is required for much of the spectral range. So far, only a very limited amount of molecular work has been done in the far-infrared, but one can expect fairly rapid growth and important results.