Field-widened interferometer

Rocketborne Field-Widened Interferometer-Spectrometer. The rocket-borne field-widened interferometer-spectrometer (RBFWI) is an example of an instrument that uses emission techniques to make broad-band spectral measurements in the 2 - 7.5 pm spectral region in the upper atmosphere. Figure 10 illustrates the concept of this cryogenically-cooled instrument developed at Utah State University under an Air Force Geophysics Laboratory contract. 

Figure 12. Theoretical maximum solid angle for a standard Michelson system as a function of resolving power compared to field-widened interferometer operating point.

Table I. Rocketborne Field-Widened Interferometer-Spectrometer...

The Field Widened interferometer spectrometer described herein was developed under a contract from the Air Force Geophysics Laboratory. We acknowledge the major contributions of Ralph Haycock, Alan Thurgood and Val King of Utah State University in the sensor development and of Ron Straka of AFGL for contract support. The authors especially wish to thank Glenn Allred for his role in editing this paper. 

Figure 5.24. Field-widened interferometer designed by Bouchareine and Connes [29]. The movable rear-silvered mirror is translated in a direction perpendicular to that of a conventional Michelson interferometer, so that the OPD is increased by increasing the distance traveled through the prism. (Originally reproduced from [29], by permission of the author.)...

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