Three infrared spectrometers, an atmospheric chemistry suite for the ExoMars 2016 trace gas orbiter

Abstract

The atmospheric chemistry suite (ACS) package is a part of the Russian contribution to the ExoMars ESA-Roscosmos mission. ACS consists of three separate infrared spectrometers, sharing common mechanical, electrical, and thermal interfaces. The near-infrared (NIR) channel is a versatile spectrometer for the spectral range of 0.7–1.6 μm with a resolving power of ∼20,000. The instrument employs the principle of an echelle spectrometer with an acousto-optical tunable filter (AOTF) as a preselector. NIR will be operated in nadir, in solar occultations, and possibly on the limb. Scientific targets of NIR are the measurements of water vapor, aerosols, and dayside or nightside airglows. The mid-infrared (MIR) channel is a cross-dispersion echelle instrument dedicated to solar occultation measurements in the range of 2.2–4.4 μm targeting the resolving power of 50,000. MIR is dedicated to sensitive measurements of trace gases. The thermal infrared channel (TIRVIM) is a 2-inch double pendulum Fourier-transform spectrometer for the spectral range of 1.7–17 μm with apodized resolution varying from 0.2 to 1.6 cm−1. TIRVIM is primarily dedicated to the monitoring of atmospheric temperatures and aerosol states in nadir. The present paper describes the concept of the instrument, and in more detail, the optical design and the expected parameters of its three parts channel by channel.