We describe the design and use of an infrared Fourier transform spectrometer which has been used for observations of laboratory, stratospheric, and astronomical spectra. The spectrometer has a spectral resolution of 0.032 cm and has operated in the mid-infrared (12 to 13 microns) as well as the far-infrared (40 to 140 microns), using both bolometer and photoconductor cryogenic detectors. The spectrometer is optically sized to accept an f/9 beam from the multi-mirror telescope (MMT). The optical and electronic design are discussed, including remote operation of the spectrometer on a balloon-borne 102 cm telescope. The performance of the laser-controlled, screw-driven moving cat's-eye mirror is discussed. Segments of typical far-infrared balloon flight spectra, lab spectra, and mid-infrared MMT spectra are presented. Data reduction, interferogram processing, artifact removal, wavelength calibration, and intensity calibration methods are discussed. Future use of the spectrometer is outlined.

Date Published: 16 November 1982
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 0331, Instrumentation in Astronomy IV, (16 November 1982); doi: 10.1117/12.933457

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0331:
Instrumentation in Astronomy IV
David L. Crawford, Editor(s)