A Canadian Perspective on the Past, Present, and Future of the Far-Infrared Universe

Fri., Feb. 5, 2021 3:30 p.m. - Fri., Feb. 5, 2021 4:30 p.m.

Location: Zoom

Abstract: Over half of the energy emitted by the Universe appears in the relatively unexplored Far-Infrared (FIR) spectral region, which is virtually opaque from the ground and must be observed by space-borne instrumentation. The European Space Agency (ESA) Herschel and Planck Space Telescopes provided the first full-sky and broad-band access to the cosmos in the FIR spectral region. Herschel was comprised of three instruments which conducted imaging and spectroscopy in the FIR, including the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE), with the Canadian contribution to SPIRE directed by the University of Lethbridge Astronomical Instrumentation Group (AIG). This lecture also introduces the Far-Infrared Universe, and Canadian perspective on associated telescopes and scientific instrumentation, past, present, and including future missions and mission concepts. Targets of interest include relatively nearby star formation, all the way out to the oldest photons available to us from the cosmic microwave background.

Speaker: Dr. Locke Spencer, University of Lethbridge

*Part of the 2021 Prairie University Physics Seminar Series (PUPSS)