Conceptual design for the mid-infrared medium-resolution Echelle spectrometer (MIRMES) on the SPICA Mission

The Mid-Infrared Medium-Resolution Eschelle Spectrometer (MIRMES) is one of the focal-plane instrument onboard SPICA mission proposed in the pre-project phase. It is designed for measuring the strengths and the profiles of lines and bands emitted from various phases of materials including ionized gas, gas-phase molecules, solid-phase molecules and dust particles in the wavelengths from 10 to 40μm. The MIRMES provides a medium resolution (R=700-1500) spectroscopic capability in the mid-infrared spectral range (10-36μm) with integrated field units of a field-of-view of about 12"×6" for shorter wavelength range (10-20μm) and 12"×12".5 for longer wavelength range (20-36μm). The science targets of the MIRMES and the results of the concept study on its optical design and the expected performance are described.

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