3:30–5:00 pm ERC 161
Title: SPHEREx Begins Mapping the Universe
Abstract: SPHEREx is an all-sky survey satellite designed to address three science goals with a single instrument, a wide-field spectral imager. SPHEREx will probe the physics of inflation through measurements of non-Gaussianity by studying large-scale structure, surveying a large cosmological volume at low redshifts. We will chart the origin and history of galaxy formation by mapping large-scale spatial power in two deep fields located near the ecliptic poles. The origin of water and biogenic molecules will be investigated in all phases of planetary system formation - from molecular clouds to young stellar systems with protoplanetary disks - by measuring ice absorption spectra. Following in the tradition of all-sky missions, SPHEREx will be the first all-sky near-infrared spectral survey, creating spectra (0.75 – 4.2 um at R = 40, and 4.2 – 5 um at R = 135) with high sensitivity using a cooled telescope with a wide field-of-view for large mapping speed. Our two-year mission recently started in earnest with a successful launch on 11 March 2025. I will review the SPHEREx science program and share some very preliminary results from in-orbit checkout as we start to operate the observatory in space.
Zoom: https://uchicago.zoom.us/j/93092711418?pwd=ax8GAGcDkGPBQj9fe0P8I7TS1shSIl.1
