Applications for quantum cascade lasers and detectors in mid-infrared high-resolution heterodyne astronomy

Quantum cascade (QC) structures, for both emitting and detecting mid-infrared radiation, are powerful devices for spectroscopy. QC lasers (QCLs), which have been built for nearly 15 years, already play the leading role in certain wavelength regions. QC detectors (QCDs) are a fairly new development, which has been evolving from the QCL research. In high-resolution heterodyne spectrometers for astronomy, such as the Cologne tuneable heterodyne infrared spectrometer (THIS), QC devices help to open new windows to space as discussed in this paper. We will briefly review the use of QC devices in THIS, show recent results in measuring planetary atmospheric dynamics and give an outlook to astronomical goals for the future.