Michelson Interferometer for Global High-Resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI): Monolithic Interferometer Design and Test

The design and laboratory tests of the interferometers for the Michelson Interferometer for Global High-resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI) instrument which measures thermospheric wind and temperature for the NASA-sponsored Ionospheric Connection (ICON) Explorer mission are described. The monolithic interferometers use the Doppler Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne (DASH) Spectroscopy technique for wind measurements and a multi-element photometer approach to measure thermospheric temperatures. The DASH technique and overall optical design of the MIGHTI instrument are described in an overview followed by details on the design, element fabrication, assembly, laboratory tests and thermal control of the interferometers that are the heart of MIGHTI.

[1]  C. Englert,et al.  Thermal sensitivity of DASH interferometers: the role of thermal effects during the calibration of an Echelle DASH interferometer. , 2013, Applied optics.

[2]  A. Bourassa,et al.  Temperatures in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere from OSIRIS observations of O2 A-band emission spectra , 2010 .

[3]  Scott Ellis,et al.  Michelson Interferometer for Global High-Resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI): Instrument Design and Calibration , 2017, Space Science Reviews.

[4]  Ian Miller,et al.  High-efficiency echelle gratings for MIGHTI, the spatial heterodyne interferometers for the ICON mission. , 2017, Applied optics.

[5]  John M Harlander,et al.  Broadband, high-resolution spatial heterodyne spectrometer. , 2008, Applied optics.

[6]  Wayne F. J. Evans,et al.  The Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite: A 20 year perspective , 2012 .

[7]  Fred L. Roesler,et al.  Spatial heterodyne spectroscopy for the exploration of diffuse interstellar emission lines at far-ultraviolet wavelengths , 1992 .

[8]  J. Russell,et al.  Altitude profiles of lower thermospheric temperature from RAIDS/NIRS and TIMED/SABER remote sensing experiments , 2013 .

[9]  C. Englert,et al.  Spatial Heterodyne Imager for Mesospheric Radicals on STPSat-1 , 2010 .

[10]  Fred L. Roesler,et al.  First results from the Spatial Heterodyne Imager for Mesospheric Radicals (SHIMMER): Diurnal variation of mesospheric hydroxyl , 2008 .

[11]  T. Slanger,et al.  Photometric Imaging Etalon Spectrometer , 1988 .

[12]  C. Englert,et al.  Doppler asymmetric spatial heterodyne spectroscopy (DASH): concept and experimental demonstration. , 2007, Applied optics.

[13]  C. Englert,et al.  Design and laboratory tests of a Doppler Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne (DASH) interferometer for upper atmospheric wind and temperature observations. , 2010, Optics express.

[14]  E. J. Llewellyn,et al.  Mesopause temperatures during the polar mesospheric cloud season , 2011 .