Leisawitz, D;
Bonato, M;
Farrah, D;
Hyde, TT;
Lee, A;
Lovell, JB;
Matthews, B;
... Wilner, D; + view all
(2023)
The science case for a far-infrared interferometer in the era of JWST and ALMA.
In: Strojnik, Marija and Helbert, Jörn, (eds.)
Proceedings of SPIE: The International Society for Optical Engineering.
(pp. pp. 1-11).
Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
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Abstract
A space-based far-infrared interferometer could work synergistically with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) to revolutionize our understanding of the astrophysical processes leading to the formation of habitable planets and the co-evolution of galaxies and their central supermassive black holes. Key to these advances are measurements of water in its frozen and gaseous states, observations of astronomical objects in the spectral range where most of their light is emitted, and access to critical diagnostic spectral lines, all of which point to the need for a far-infrared observatory in space. The objects of interest – circumstellar disks and distant galaxies – typically appear in the sky at sub-arcsecond scales, which rendered all but a few of them unresolvable with the successful and now-defunct 3.5-m Herschel Space Observatory, the largest far-infrared telescope flown to date. A far-infrared interferometer with maximum baseline length in the tens of meters would match the angular resolution of JWST at 10x longer wavelengths and observe water ice and water-vapor emission, which ALMA can barely do through the Earth’s atmosphere. Such a facility was conceived and studied two decades ago. Here we revisit the science case for a space-based far-infrared interferometer in the era of JWST and ALMA and summarize the measurement capabilities that will enable the interferometer to achieve a set of compelling scientific objectives. Common to all the science themes we consider is a need for sub-arcsecond image resolution.
| Type: | Proceedings paper |
|---|---|
| Title: | The science case for a far-infrared interferometer in the era of JWST and ALMA |
| Event: | SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications 2023 |
| Location: | San Diego, CA, USA |
| Dates: | 20th-25th August 2023 |
| ISBN-13: | 9781510665866 |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1117/12.2682235 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2682235 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Physics and Astronomy |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10183645 |
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