The initial design of Maratus: a 12U narrowband imager for mapping the circumgalactic medium
We present Maratus—a proposed 12U cubesat far ultraviolet narrow-band imager, centered on 1350Å to map the circumgalactic medium (CGM). We primarily target O vi emission, likely the brightest tracer of the 10<sup>5</sup> −10<sup>6</sup> K gas surrounding galaxies, at z ∼ 0.3. Combining flight-proven hardware with recent technological improvements, we tackle one of the most interesting questions bridging large scale structure and galaxy evolution in our current moment — “How does gas flow into and out of galaxies?” Answering this question is crucial for understanding the regulation of star formation, and the flow of matter, energy, and metals travelling between galaxies and the intergalactic medium. Maratus is a proof of principle instrument that will pave the way for large-scale mapping of the intergalactic medium. Mapping the CGM is identified as a key discovery area in the recent astrophysics decadal report. By using COS-Halos galaxies for our targeted survey, we present the first opportunity to characterize a key metal tracer of the CGM in both emission and absorption.
Authors
- Yakov Faerman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3520-6503)
- Thomas Quinn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5510-2803)
- Lauren Corlies (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0646-1540)
- Conor Sayres (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4454-1920)
- N. Nicole Sanchez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7589-6188)
- Mehran Mesbahi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6972-6588)
- Jessica K. Werk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0355-0134)
- Sarah Tuttle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7327-565X)
- Brian Fleming (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2129-0292)
- Matthew McQuinn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7961-9735)
- John Hennessy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0135-0219)
- Jason B. McPhate (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7504-1999)
- José Sánchez-Gallego (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2486-3858)
- Travis Mandeville
- Manuel A. Quijada
- Alvar Saenz-Otero
- Shouleh Nikzad (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1255-1018)
- Caleb Wang
Institutions
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US)
- Adler Planetarium (US)
- University of Colorado Boulder (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- Carnegie Observatories (US)
- Earth and Space Research (US)
Publication Details
- Published
- 2024-08-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3020547
- Primary Topic
- Photocathodes and Microchannel Plates
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00