Three instruments have been proposed for SPICA (Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics):
- A mid-infrared (MIR) coronagraph
- A MIR high-field camera and high-resolution spectrometer
- A far-infrared (FIR) imaging spectrometer (SAFARI)
We provide here an overview of the SAFARI instrument simulator currently being developed at the University of Lethbridge.
The simulator is modular in design, reconfigurable and easily maintained. The modular components include optics, pointing, Mach-Zehnder imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS), power-on-pixel, detector and read out electronics. The optics module constitutes the skeleton of the simulator, comprising telescope and instrument optical components (30+ elements cooled to ~5K) which are divided into three sections (pre-FTS, FTS, post-FTS) and are used to determine the radiant loading on the detectors. The pointing module includes contribution from the telescope and the beam steering mirror. The spectrometer mechanism (FTS Module) simulates the non-uniform spatial sampling of the interferogram which results from the variable speed of the scanning mechanism. The only terms which can give rise to a modulated component are the astronomical source and any emission from the pre-optics. The total power received at the detectors is computed in the power-on-pixel module. The 'black-box' detector modules are intended to facilitate the simulation and testing of the different detector candidates (i.e. TES bolometers, photoconductors, and kinetic induction detectors).
The simulator will not only find use during the design phase of the instrument, but it will also be used to evaluate the performance of the flight model during the ground test campaigns, ultimately leading to a prediction of the in-orbit performance. Specifically, the simulator will be used to investigate the scientific capabilities of the instrument at three resolving powers (λ/δλ = 3, 100, 2000) over the wavelength range 30-210μm, nominally separated into three sub-bands.
To view a poster describing SAFARI, click here (PDF, 1.5 MB)
Figure of modular components and data flow:
Please send any comments or questions to naylor(at)uleth.ca