Event Description
James Aguirre, PhD, University of Pennsylvania
Mapping
the Cosmic Star Formation History in 4-D with TIM (the Terahertz
Intensity Mapper)
Sensitive spectrometers in
the far-infrared have the potential to greatly expand our understanding of how
galaxies form and evolve over cosmic time, by peering directly into the
otherwise dust-obscured regions in galaxies where stars form. Advances in detector technology now make such
instruments possible, so long as they are carried aboard space or balloon-borne
telescopes to get above the strong absorption of earth's atmosphere.
The speaker
will describe the design and science goals of a newly funded instrument,
the Terahertz Intensity Mapper (TIM), a balloon-borne telescope with
a spectrometer designed to produce large area maps of atomic line
emission which can provide crucial insight into the physical conditions of
star formation. TIM will produce a three-dimensional view, as a
function of cosmic time, of the distribution of galaxies and their production
of stars spanning some 5 billion years of cosmic history, allowing us to
understand in aggregate how galaxies have formed and changed. |