Introduction to the WFI
The Wide Field Instrument (WFI) Imaging Mode User Guide provides an overview of the WFI and its role in the Roman mission.
The Introduction to the WFI currently includes the following articles:
Under Construction
The WFI Imaging Mode User Guide is currently being written and developed. Please note that some topics are not yet available, and that some details will change during ground testing and commissioning.
Figure of the WFI relative to the Roman Telescope
This diagram provides a schematic view of the light path for the telescope and the WFI. Light from astronomical images enters the Roman telescope, a 2.4-meter aperture, is focused by the main and secondary mirrors before being passed to through the to the WFI. A series of flat mirrors brings the light into the WFI. The light passes through including the Element Wheel Assembly (EWA), that hosts the filters and dispersive elements. The light is focused the onto the focal plane, which is populated with 18 infra-red sensitive detectors. The detectors convert the photons into electrical signals to produce high-resolution, 300-megapixel images.
The Video Introducing WFI in the Context of the Spacecraft below provides more context. (Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Link to Original)
View of the Roman Focal Plane Array
The WFI has 18 detectors that are held in the Focal Plane Array, which allows it to create 300-million-pixel images over a 0.28 square degree field of view. In this photograph from the Detector Characterization Laboratory (DCL) at GSFC, the Focal Plane Array is visible already integrated into the Focal Plane System that contains the control electronics. The Video Introducing the WFI in the Context of the Spacecraft below provides more context. (Image credit: NASA/Chris Gunn; Link to Original)
Video Introducing the WFI in the Context of the Spacecraft
For additional questions not answered in this article, please contact the Roman Help Desk at STScI.
References
- Scientific Visualization Studio at NASA Goddard, "NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's Wide Field Instrument" Visualization ID: 13235, Created June 29, 2019 and Updated May 3, 2023
- Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at STScI