The submillimeter: A spectroscopist's view

The submillimeter spectral region has undergone an explosive growth in the last decade, not only in its impact on the larger scientific and technological world, but also in the high resolution laboratory spectroscopy that makes much of this success possible. Major astronomical and atmospheric instruments are the most visible evidence, but the impact is much broader. This breadth lays the foundation for the impact of submillimeter spectroscopy to extend beyond the scientific community. In this paper we consider the scientific and technical foundations of submillimeter spectroscopy and show how the underlying physics has made possible current successes and shows the path forward to even greater opportunities.