The SFINX instrument (SRON Fabry-Perot interferometer experiment) is a high resolution spectrometer for the far infrared, designed for balloon operation. It is composed of a small telescope and a cryogenic detection system. The liquid helium cryostat houses a Fabry-Perot with a spectral resolution in excess of 6000, of which the orders are separated by a grating monochromator, and a Ge:Ga photon detector. An additional liquid nitrogen dewar contains a recently developed bolometer with high Tc temperature sensor. Vertical sky resolution is ca 5 milliradian. Together with the proven MIPAS mid-infrared interferometer, the SFINX instrument will be flown in several balloon campaigns to obtain a more complete picture of the stratospheric composition with, in addition to current satellite data, detailed information of its changes during sunrise. The presentation discusses the hardware design and a number of details about the SFINX experiment.

Date Published: 31 December 1997
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 3221, Sensors, Systems, and Next-Generation Satellites, (31 December 1997); doi: 10.1117/12.298117

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3221:
Sensors, Systems, and Next-Generation Satellites
Hiroyuki Fujisada, Editor(s)