The design concept of a static wide field-of-view polarization Michelson interferometer for Mars atmosphere survey

Abstract

Passive optical remote sensing is one of the effective methods to measure the composition of the Martian atmosphere. A static wide field-of-view polarization Michelson interferometer is intended to be used to measure winds in the atmosphere of Mars. The highlight of the instrument is the application of a thin lens array and a polarizer array to obtain four interferograms simultaneously without moving parts; then the velocity and temperature can be deduced from the four interferograms. The thin lens array is used to divide the pupil, and this makes the optical system small and lightweight. Moreover, there is no influence on the recovered temperature and velocity when the lens array is misaligned. A fully compensation technology is applied to widen the field-of-view and fulfill achromatic and thermal compensation, and simulations show that the designed scheme responds well to theoretical expectation.