MIRI - Mid Infrared Instrument
JWST's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) will provide imaging and
spectroscopy at wavelengths of 5 to 27 microns. MIRI's broad
wavelength response in the thermal infrared combined with the
outstanding sensitivity of a passively cooled, 6m class aperture
telescope opens a large new discovery space.
The high sensitivity, diffraction limited angular resolution and
moderate spectral resolution will enable many new observing
programs. These include studies aimed at key JWST mission goals such
as understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies beyond a
redshift of z=5, the physical processes of star and planet formation,
the creation of the first heavy elements and finding the source of
life supporting elements in planetary systems.
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| Figure 1: The MIRI optics module.
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MIRI will provide imaging and spectroscopy over the 5-27 micron
wavelength range. Its design consists of two main modules, an imager
and a medium resolution spectrograph (MRS).
The MIRI imager will provide broad and narrow-band imaging, phase-mask
coronagraphy, Lyot coronagraphy, and prism low-resolution (R ~ 100)
slit spectroscopy from 5 to 10 micron. The imaging module will use a
single 1024 x 1024 pixels Si:As sensor chip assembly. The imager
will be diffraction limited at 7 microns with a pixel scale of ~0.11
arcsec and a field of view of 79 x 113 arcsec.
The medium resolution spectrograph will obtain simultaneous spectral and
spatial data on a relatively compact region of sky. Its design uses
four integral field units, implemented as four
simultaneous fields of view, ranging from 3.7 x 3.7 arcsec to 7.7 x
7.7 arcsec with increasing wavelength, with pixel sizes ranging from
0.2 to 0.65 arcsec. The spectroscopy has a resolution of R~3000 over the 5-27 micron
wavelength range. The spectrograph uses two 1024 x 1024 pixels
Si:As sensor chip assemblies.
Figure 2: The MIRI CAD rendering.
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MIRI will be developed by NASA and a consortium of European partners
sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA). Each Agency will
contribute about half of the required resources. The science team
overseeing the construction of MIRI is led by Dr. George Rieke,
University of Arizona. Dr. Gillian Wright, UK Astronomy
Technology Centre, is the European PI. NASA has selected the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in
Pasadena, California as the lead center for implementing the MIRI. Mike Ressler (JPL) is the Project Scientist.
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