The infrared spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope

Abstract

The Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) is one of three science instruments on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The IRS comprises four separate spectrograph modules covering the wavelength range from 5.3 to 38 µm with spectral resolutions, R = λ/∆λ ∼ 90 and 600, and it was optimized to take full advantage of the very low background in the space environment. The IRS is performing at or better than the pre-launch predictions. An autonomous target acquisition capability enables the IRS to locate the mid-infrared centroid of a source, providing the information so that the spacecraft can accurately offset that centroid to a selected slit. This feature is particularly useful when taking spectra of sources with poorly known coordinates. An automated data reduction pipeline has been developed at the Spitzer Science Center.

A survey of Karin cluster asteroids with the Spitzer Space Telescope

“…Each target was imaged at six wavelengths, using the Infrared Array Camera, IRAC (Fazio et al, 2004) and the Infrared Spectrograph, IRS (Houck et al, 2004) in peak-up imaging (PUI) mode. IRAC provides four filter passbands (referred to as channels 1 -4 in the following) with central wavelengths of 3.…”

Carbon Vapor and Carbon Plasma Infrared Emission

“…In the above Figure black denotes mid-infrared LIB spectra [10], magenta denotes the spectrum from the Spitzer telescope [18] (the author acknowledges Professor Jan Cami for sending the digital form of the spectrum), while red denotes infrared spectra from hot C 60 vapor [12]. As shown the ν 25 and ν 26 infrared modes of C 60 at around 7 and 8.5 micron overlap between the laboratory C 60 vapor and the Spitzer infrared spectra, but the mid-infrared LIB spectra do not have prominent bands at these wavelengths (see the boxes in the figure bracketing the two fundamental modes of C 60 ).…”

“…Thus data derived from hot vapors may also be useful for the observation of very cold gas-phase fullerenes in astronomical sources. In fact these extrapolated values and matrix isolation data were used for the identification of fullerenes C 60 and C 70 in planetary nebulae [16,17] using the Infrared Spectrograph on board of the Spitzer Space Telescope [18].…”

Spitzer warm mission: maximizing the science return in the extended mission phase

“…The only obvious tasks that changed for mission operations was that we no longer needed to monitor or manage the cryogen and the number of spacecraft contacts would be halved. For science operations, support for the MIPS [7] and IRS [8] instruments was no longer required. The MIPS and IRS teams at the SSC comprised less than 20% of the total staffing.…”