The Mid-Infrared Instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope, I: Introduction
Journal article, 2015
MIRI (the Mid-Infrared Instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope [JWST]) operates from 5 to 28: 5 mu m and combines over this range: (1) unprecedented sensitivity levels; (2) subarcsecond angular resolution; (3) freedom from atmospheric interference; (4) the inherent stability of observing in space; and (5) a suite of versatile capabilities including imaging, low- and medium-resolution spectroscopy (with an integral field unit), and coronagraphy. We illustrate the potential uses of this unique combination of capabilities with various science examples: (1) imaging exoplanets; (2) transit and eclipse spectroscopy of exoplanets; (3) probing the first stages of star and planet formation, including identifying bioactive molecules; (4) determining star formation rates and mass growth as galaxies are assembled; and (5) characterizing the youngest massive galaxies.
Author
G. H. Rieke
University of Arizona
G. S. Wright
Royal Observatory
T. Boker
European Space Agency (ESA)
J. Bouwman
Max Planck Society
L. Colina
Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB)
A. Glasse
Royal Observatory
K. D. Gordon
Ghent university
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
T. P. Greene
NASA Ames Research Center
M. Gudel
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETH)
University of Vienna
T. Henning
Max Planck Society
Kay Justtanont
Chalmers, Earth and Space Sciences, Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics
P. O. Lagage
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
M. E. Meixner
Johns Hopkins University
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
H. U. Norgaard-Nielsen
Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
T. P. Ray
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
M. E. Ressler
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
E. F. van Dishoeck
Leiden University
C. Waelkens
KU Leuven
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
0004-6280 (ISSN) 1538-3873 (eISSN)
Vol. 127 953 584-594Subject Categories
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
DOI
10.1086/682252