Speaker
Description
The InfraRed Telescope (IRT) aboard the proposed THESEUS mission requires a stable and well-characterised detector response to achieve its science objectives, particularly for the rapid localisation and redshift determination of high-energy transients. This is enabled by an internal Calibration Unit designed to provide spatially uniform and temporally stable near-infrared illumination throughout the mission lifetime, representing the second near-infrared LED-based calibration unit of its kind following Euclid’s Near-Infrared Calibration Unit (NI-CU).
We present the main challenges driving the mechanical design concept of the IRT Calibration Unit, including strict volume and mass limits, ease of manufacturing and assembly, and the need for structural rigidity and thermal stability. We discuss the solutions adopted to integrate an optical system capable of providing highly uniform illumination within the IRT-specific constraints.