Toward the next generation of space-based spectroscopy

Dr. Drew Miles

Recent and expected future advancements in spectroscopic capabilities are allowing new instrument designs to achieve the next generation of scientific observations. In this talk I will provide a brief overview of the benefits of suborbital missions, which are realizable on the scale of just a few years and for a small fraction of the cost of large satellites. I will then discuss two suborbital instruments currently in development: tREXS, a grating spectrograph designed to characterize extended sources of soft-X-ray emission, and SCWI, an ultraviolet integral-field spectrograph designed to map emission from the circumgalactic medium and intergalactic medium in the nearby Universe (redshifts z < 1). Both missions target emission from faint, diffuse sources, and their observational objectives are enabled through advances in component technologies that in turn allow for new scientific return.

To participate in this event virtually via Zoom, go to https://uiowa.zoom.us/j/98011121591?from=addon.