The PLanetary extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer Project

Spectroscopic observations in the far (FUV, 115-200 nm) and extreme (EUV, 40-115 nm) ultraviolet is of fundamental importance in solar physics, in the physics of interstellar medium, in the study of planetary exospheres. The PLUS project is focused on the development of a high-performance spectrograph for the observations of planetary exospheres in the 55-200 nm range. The instrument layout is based on a two channels (VUV/EUV) design. It will be characterized by improved detection limit, shorter observations integration time and unprecedented performance in terms of dynamic range. Such characteristics will be obtained thanks to the development and combination of two key technologies: high efficient optical components optimized for each channel and high resolution/dynamic range solar blind photon counting detectors. The photon counting detector will be based on a Micro-Channel Plate (MCP) coupled with an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) read out system.