The interface region imaging spectrograph for the IRIS Small Explorer mission

摘要

The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) is a NASA SMall EXplorer mission scheduled for launch in January2013. The primary goal of IRIS is to understand how the solar atmosphere is energized. The IRIS investigationcombines advanced numerical modeling with a high resolution UV imaging spectrograph. IRIS will obtain UV spectraand images with high resolution in space (0.4 arcsec) and time (1s) focused on the chromosphere and transition region ofthe Sun, a complex interface region between the photosphere and corona. The IRIS instrument uses a Cassegraintelescope to feed a dual spectrograph and slit-jaw imager that operate in the 133-141 nm and 278-283 nm ranges. Thispaper describes the instrument with emphasis on the imaging spectrograph, and presents an initial performanceassessment from ground test results.© (2012) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.