Architecture and performance of the space-based Far-Infrared Interferometer Instrument Simulator

FIRI (Far Infra-Red Interferometer) is a spatial and spectral space interferometer with an operating wavelength range of 25-400 mu m and sub-arcsecond angular resolution. It is based on the combination of stellar interferometry and Fourier transform spectroscopy to perform spectroscopy at high angular resolution in the far-infrared. The resulting technique is referred to as double Fourier spatio-spectral interferometry. With increased spatial and spectral resolution come a number of interesting science cases such as the formation and evolution of AGN and the characterization of gas, ice and dust in discs undergoing planetary formation, among others. To study the feasibility of a FIRI system, the Far-Infrared Interferometer Instrument Simulator (FIInS) has been developed. With FIInS, once a set of modelled scientific data is available, one can compare an input sky map with the synthesized one after data reduction algorithms have been applied.