Series: Astronomy Colloquium
Date: Wednesday 16-Nov-2022
Time: 16:05-17:00 (4:05-5:00 pm)
Location: ATL 2400
Speaker: Dr. Jason Glenn (GSFC)
Title: “PRIMA: the Probe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics”
PRIMA is a far-infrared observatory concept being developed to address timely and fundamental questions about the growths of galaxies and solar systems and their constituents. It will observe the build-up of heavy elements, dust, stars, and black holes in galaxies and their interrelationships, and trace the masses and water contents of protoplanetary disks to probe the growths of solar systems. The majority of observing time will be devoted to Guest Observer programs to enable the astrophysics community to identify and plan the most critical observations, with focused PI programs to address key science with rapid releases of data to inform community planning. PRIMA will have spectral, hyperspectral imaging, and polarimetric capabilities, enabled now for the first time by extraordinary progress in kinetic inductance detector (KID) array technology over the last two decades. The 2-meter telescope will be cooled to < 5 K to take maximum advantage of the KID sensitivities. For observations of atomic fine-structure lines, molecular lines, and solid-state emission and absorption bands, R = 170 spectral coverage will range from approximately 24 microns to 230 microns, with a high-resolution mode across the entire band that will have a spectral resolving power of 4,400 at 112 microns. R ~ 10 moderate-resolution (hyperspectral) imaging will range from 25 to 80 microns for rest-frame mid- and far-infrared spectral energy distribution measurements to probe dust grain composition and disambiguate star formation and active galactic nuclei in galaxies. Polarimetric observations of large areas of Galactic molecular clouds and the Magellanic Clouds from 80 to ~200 microns will bridge between the large-scale polarimetry of the interstellar medium from cosmic microwave background observatories and protostellar disk-scale interferometric observations to probe magnetic fields at the critical scales at which clouds collapse to form stars. An overview of PRIMA’s basic design and capabilities will be presented.
In-person colloquia are usually preceded by espresso and ice cream at 1:45 pm outside room PSC 1150 and are followed by an informal reception at 5:15 pm in that room. Anyone interested in talking with the speaker, or being added to the colloquium announcement email list, should contact the colloquium organizer Dr. Leslie Sage. Lunch will normally be reserved for the speaker to talk to graduate students. Anyone asking a question during a talk is asked to raise their hand and be acknowledged before speaking. Contact Dr. Leslie Sage for details.
Colloquium Organizer:
Dr. Leslie Sage
Special accommodations for individuals with disabilities can be made by calling (301) 405-3001. It would be appreciated if we are notified at least one week in advance.
