(Photo from the Purple Mountain Observatory)

During China's 39th Antarctic expedition, the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (PMO-CAS) took the lead in conducting trial astronomical observations using the terahertz equipment and carried out experiments involving the sending and receiving of communication signals.

These efforts by the Nanjing-based observatory will lay the foundation for future research and experimental verification of next-generation communication technologies in Antarctica.

The expedition team departed from Shanghai in last October, and researchers later reached Kunlun Station and Taishan Station. The Kunlun Station provided an excellent site for terahertz astronomical observations on the ground.

The PMO researchers in the expedition carried with them domestically developed terahertz testing system, such as superconducting terahertz receivers, terahertz signal sources and high-precision antennae.

The experiments at the two stations further improved the results of the preliminary measurements and will contribute to the future missions.

In addition, the researchers also achieved the first terahertz signal sending and receiving test in the kilometer-level 0.5THz frequency range on the Antarctic continent.