James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

NIRSpec Integral Field Unit

Contact: Ray Sharples

The Centre for Advanced Instrumentation has produced and measured the optical elements of the NIRSPEC Integral Field Unit (IFU) for the James Webb Space Telescope. The IFU has 32 slices and covers a field of view of  3" × 3".

The instrument saw the gas near the supermassive black hole of one of Stephan’s Quintet  galaxies in wavelengths never detected before, and it was able to determine its composition.

Durham University has been involved in the scientific development and engineering of key components for the James Webb Space Telescope and its scientists will be among the first to use the new instrument for research purposes.

NIRSpec IFU- a key subsystem for the James Webb Telescope, the IFU contains diamond machined optics, produced by CfAI for the analysis of light from faint galaxies emitted 10 billion years ago (in collaboration with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd).

NIRspec IFU