The Miniaturized Infrared Detector of Atmospheric Species (MIDAS) a low-mass, MWIR low-power hyperspectral imager

Abstract

The mid-wave infrared is an especially informative wavelength range, permitting detection and characterization of a diverse range of materials and processes. The development of a new way to measure in this region, using a Sagnac interferometer spectrometer, has lead us to design the Miniaturized Infrared detector of Atmospheric Species (MIDAS). Instruments like MIDAS are attractive for space applications due to their low-mass and low-power consumption. An uncooled microbolometer and a cooled InSb photon detector version of MIDAS are currently set up for bench top characterization and preliminary science data collection.