Baluteau J P, Anderegg M, Moorwood A F, Coron N, Beckman J E, Bussoletti E, Hippelein H H
Appl Opt. 1977 Jul 1;16(7):1834-40. doi: 10.1364/AO.16.001834.
A Michelson interferometer has been built for use with the 91-cm telescope on NASA's Gerard P. Kuiper Airborne Observatory primarily to measure ir line emission from H 11 regions. Operation is in the rapid scan mode, and the achievable resolution is 0.02 cm(-1) in the wavelength range from 10 micro to around 300 micro. A minicomputer is used to provide on-line spectrum displays and to control and monitor the instrument performance. The design and use of the instrument is discussed, and a comparison is made between the theoretical performance and that actually achieved on the first flights when measurements of line emission from the Orion nebula and from the atmosphere were made.
