The far-infrared to the millimeter region of the Electromagnetic Spectrum contains a wealth of information about the Universe at early epochs. Observations of cold gas and dust uniquely probe the earliest stages in the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets, with, for example, the blackbody emission of a 10 K source (or a 40 K source at redshift ~3) peaking at around a wavelength of 300 μm. At longer millimeter wavelengths the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect provide remarkably powerful tools for probing the history of the Universe, and determining its large-scale structure and mass/energy content. 

Over the past few decades the advancement in both telescope and instrument technology has seen extraordinary discoveries ranging from the discovery of ultraluminous, high-redshift galaxies responsible for the majority of the far-IR background, to the vast clouds of cold dust around nearby stars believed to be harboring planetary system perhaps like our own Solar System. In recent years new space facilities, such as the Herschel Space Observatory and the Planck Surveyor, have imaged vast molecular clouds pin-pointing regions of new star formation, discovered new and exotic molecules in space, and have led to high-precision measurements of CMB temperature and polarization anisotropies. Furthermore, the new ALMA interferometer is now making high spatial resolution measurements, on a par with the Hubble Space Telescope, providing exquisite detail of the most interesting objects hitherto unseen.

The full exploitation of new facilities, whether they be multi-element interferometers or single-dish telescopes, places new demands for continuing instrument and detector development. For imaging arrays, the pixel count continues to grow to thousands of pixels and beyond. Adaptations of the basic detector technologies to produce polarimetric focal planes and ultra-low-noise devices for the demanding space environment continue to be of primary importance. Meanwhile, heterodyne receivers continue pushing forward to better sensitivity, more functionality, mass production, and terahertz frequency operation. 

This conference aims to bring together astronomers, physicists, and engineers working on detectors and low-noise instruments for the far-infrared/submm/mm wavelength range. It will cover current and future imaging and spectroscopic arrays, both bolometric and heterodyne, for ground-based and space-borne telescopes, the physics of semiconducting and superconducting detectors and readouts, the optimization of long-wavelength optical systems, new developments in coherent receivers and spectrometers, and the design and optimization of components such as optics, filters, and local oscillators. In addition to these component technologies, the conference will examine instrument architectures as well as recent application examples.