An all sky near-infrared spectrophotometric survey

Dr. Thibaut LeBertre (Observatoire de Paris)

Donnerstag, 20.12.2001 um 10 Uhr c.t. im Raum PN-114

Abstract

The objective of this proposal is to carry out an exhaustive spectro-imaging survey of the sky in the range 1.6 - 6.5 microns, possibly extended to 9 microns, with a spectral resolution of about 100. This spectral range, essentially opaque from the ground, is very rich in spectral features that trace the stellar populations and the interstellar medium in all its forms (molecular, atomic, ionised gas, PAHs, dust, ices). Excellent performances in detection will be reached (500 microJy and 10 microJy at 3 microns, in standard and long exposure modes, respectively) thanks to a (passive) cooling down to 60-80 K of the whole instrument placed in orbit around the Earth. Key-objectives, which are allowed by the angular scale of 12!" (or better if technically feasible), are the study of:

1. the interstellar medium in our Galaxy and closeby galaxies;
2. the stellar populations of all the Galaxy and especially the evolved stars;
3. the stars of low mass in the solar vicinity and in particular the brown dwarfs;
4. the population of starburst galaxies up to z=2-3 that present spectra very shifted towards the infrared, as well as the granularity of the cosmological background;
5. the asteroids.