Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI)
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The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) is an imager/spectrograph that covers the wavelength range of 5 to 27 micrometers, with a possible spectrographic coverage up
to 29 micrometers. The MIRI has three Arsenic-doped Silicon (Si:As) detector arrays. The camera module provides wide-field broadband imagery, and the
spectrograph module provides medium-resolution spectroscopy over a smaller field of view compared to the imager. The nominal operating temperature for
the MIRI is 7K. This level of cooling cannot be attained using the passive cooling provided by the Thermal Management Subsystem. Instead, there is a
two-step process: A Pulse Tube precooler gets the instrument down to 18K; and a Joule-Thomson Loop heat exchanger knocks it down to 7K.
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The cryocooler
compressor assembly and control electronics are housed in the Spacecraft Bus.
For more information, please visit the MIRI website at the Space Telescope Science Institute: http://www.stsci.edu/jwst/instruments/miri/
