- Feb. 14, 2022, 2:00 pm US/Central
- Mike Zemcov, Rochester Institute of Technology
Abstract: SPHEREx, NASA’s upcoming mid-class Explorer Mission, will perform the first all-sky spectral survey in the near infrared. Beginning in early 2025, SPHEREx will obtain 0.75-to-5μm spectra of every 6.2 arcsec pixel on the sky with spectral resolution R>35 and a 5σ sensitivity AB>19 per spectral/spatial resolution element over a two-year mission. The SPHEREx team plans to perform three specific science investigations: map the large-scale structure of galaxies to study the inflationary birth of the universe; determine the abundance of interstellar water and organic ices available to proto-planetary systems; and measure the light produced by stars and galaxies over cosmic history. SPHEREx will create a unique all-sky spectral database including spectra of very large numbers of astronomical and solar system targets, including not just point-like but also both extended and diffuse sources. This dataset will enable a staggering range of science, all of which will quickly become available to the global astronomical community. In this talk I will review SPHEREx’s purpose, design, and planned operations, and highlight interesting synergies between the SPHEREx data set and next generation CMB surveys that probe the evolution and dynamics of large scale structures in the universe.