Astrophysics Research and Analysis
The Faint Intergalactic-medium Redshifted Emission Balloon (FIREBall-2): Trailblazing the Discovery of CGM Emission in the low-redshift universe with ground-breaking instrumentation and innovative UV technology
Project Description
The Faint Intergalactic-medium Redshifted Emission Balloon (FIREBall-2) is de- signed to discover and map faint emission from the circumgalactic medium of low redshift galaxies (0.32) redshifts. FIREBall-2 is the only UV instrument currently proven and able to make these necessary discoveries in the low-redshift universe. Multiple flights of this very valuable facility will pave the way for low-redshift CGM physics alongside high-redshift CGM detections with ground-based surveys! FIREBall-2 will continue to serve as a platform to test cutting-edge technologies and science strategies for future space missions. The 2018 flight of FIREBall-2 demonstrated the successful performance of all subsystems and provided a test flight for several key technology innovations: the UV-optimized EMCCD, the anamorphic UV grating, a wide-field UV multi-object spectrograph, and a gondola with sub-arcsecond pointing stability. Between this program's two proposed flights, we will fabricate, characterize, and demonstrate a new, visible light-blocking filter on our UV- optimized EMCCD, a critical technology development for future UV missions seeking to use a CCD at UV wavelength. UV CCDs are notoriously prone to “red light leak,” and this new filter will cut visible light sensitivity of these detectors to virtually 0%! The FIREBall-2 team is comprised of an international consortium of experts in suborbital scientific ballooning and IGM/CGM physics. The team includes several female graduate students and postdocs in key roles and is managed by a female postdoctoral scholar (supported by a Caltech Experimental Prize Fellowship). FIREBall-2's flights will continue to provide vital training for the next generation of astrophysicists working on UV and space instrumentation. FIREBall-2 combines several innovations and noteworthy goals: − Simultaneously addresses high-priority science questions stated in NASA's 2014 Strategic Plan and UV technology development emphasized by New Worlds New Horizons (NWNH) and AURA; − Demonstrates the first ever multi-object UV spectrograph suitable for future UV missions; − Demonstrates a high-QE, low-noise, photon-counting, UV-optimized CCD for space missions; − Flies a 1-m class UV telescope, enabled by low cost optics and innovative mounts; − Demonstrates a state-of-the-art, arcsecond-precision balloon pointing system; − Builds on an international space agency partnership between NASA & CNES; − Benefits from the expertise found in a long-running institutional collaboration between Caltech/JPL, Columbia University, LAM (France), CNES (France), and University of Arizona; − Utilizes innovative optical solutions, such as a Schmidt corrector built into UV grating, which provides superior optical performance and throughput; − Trains the next-generation of instrumentation PIs, with a total of 11 Ph.D. students graduated or currently supported between FB-1 (3) and FIREBall-2 (8).
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Anticipated Benefits
The Astrophysics Research and Analysis program (APRA) supports suborbital and suborbital-class investigations, development of detectors and supporting technology, laboratory astrophysics, and limited ground based observing. Basic research proposals in these areas are solicited for investigations that are relevant to NASA's programs in astronomy and astrophysics, including the entire range of photons, gravitational waves, and particle astrophysics. The emphasis of this solicitation is on technologies and investigations that advance NASA astrophysics missions and goals.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Institute of Technology (CalTech) | Lead Organization | Academia | Pasadena, California |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | Supporting Organization | Academia | New York, New York |
| Steward Observatory | Supporting Organization | Academia | Tucson, Arizona |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
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Arizona
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California
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New York
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