Image Slicer
Integral Field Unit
The integral field is located in the SPO between the APO and the spectrometer. The system contains an entrance pupil, an input fold mirror, an image slicer mirror and exit pupil, two re-imaging mirror arrays, an output fold mirror and the exit slit. Light enters the IFU through the entrance pupil as provided by the APO. The beam is then directed towards the image slicer mirror by a 45 degree fold mirror. The image slicer is located at a magnified imager of the telescope focal plane provided by the APO.
Image Slicer
The purpose of the image slicer is to split the image into a number of slices, N, and direct the N output beams towards a series of N slits. These slits form the entrance to the MIRI spectrometer. The image slicer mirror re-images the entrance pupil onto a line of exit pupils. Following the exit pupil an array of N re-imaging mirrors is used to transfer the image from the slicer mirror to the line of output slits. Each output slit is therefore an image of the corresponding slice of the slicer mirror.
The following links lead to very high resolution pictures of imager slicers and open in a new window.
Below is a ray trace of the image slicer
The Image Slicers are provided by the ATC