Aspera: the UV SmallSat telescope to detect and map the warm-hot gas phase in nearby galaxy halos

Haeun Chung; Carlos J. Vargas; Erika Hamden; Tom McMahon; Kerry Gonzales; Aafaque R. Khan; Simran Agarwal; Hop Bailey; Peter Behroozi; Trenton Brendel; Heejoo Choi; Tom Connors; Lauren Corlies; Jason Corliss; Ralf-Jürgen Dettmar; David Dolana; Ewan S. Douglas; John Guzman; Dave Hamara; Walt Harris; Karl Harshman; Carl Hergenrother; Keri Hoadley; John Kidd; Daewook Kim; Jessica S. Li; Manny Montoya; Corwynn Sauve; David Schiminovich; Sanford Selznick; Oswald Siegmund; Michael Ward; Ellie M. Wolcott; Dennis Zaritsky

doi:10.1117/12.2593001

Translator Disclaimer

20 August 2021 Aspera: the UV SmallSat telescope to detect and map the warm-hot gas phase in nearby galaxy halos

Haeun Chung, Carlos J. Vargas, Erika Hamden, Tom McMahon, Kerry Gonzales, Aafaque R. Khan, Simran Agarwal, Hop Bailey, Peter Behroozi, Trenton Brendel, Heejoo Choi, Tom Connors, Lauren Corlies, Jason Corliss, Ralf-Jürgen Dettmar, David Dolana, Ewan S. Douglas, John Guzman, Dave Hamara, Walt Harris, Karl Harshman, Carl Hergenrother, Keri Hoadley, John Kidd, Daewook Kim, Jessica S. Li, Manny Montoya, Corwynn Sauve, David Schiminovich, Sanford Selznick, Oswald Siegmund, Michael Ward, Ellie M. Wolcott, Dennis Zaritsky

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11819, UV/Optical/IR Space Telescopes and Instruments: Innovative Technologies and Concepts X; 1181903 (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2593001
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2021, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Aspera is an extreme-UV (EUV) Astrophysics small satellite telescope designed to map the warm-hot phase coronal gas around nearby galaxy halos. Theory suggests that this gas is a significant fraction of a galaxy’s halo mass and plays a critical role in its evolution, but its exact role is poorly understood. Aspera observes this warm-hot phase gas via Ovi emission at 1032 °A using four parallel Rowland-Circle-like spectrograph channels in a single payload. Aspera’s robust-and-simple design is inspired by the FUSE spectrograph, but with smaller, four 6.2 cm × 3.7 cm, off-axis parabolic primary mirrors. Aspera is expected to achieve a sensitivity of 4.3×10⁻¹⁹ erg/s/cm²/arcsec² for diffuse Ovi line emission. This superb sensitivity is enabled by technological advancements over the last decade in UV coatings, gratings, and detectors. Here we present the overall payload design of the Aspera telescope and its expected performance. Aspera is funded by the inaugural 2020 NASA Astrophysics Pioneers program, with a projected launch in late 2024.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Haeun Chung, Carlos J. Vargas, Erika Hamden, Tom McMahon, Kerry Gonzales, Aafaque R. Khan, Simran Agarwal, Hop Bailey, Peter Behroozi, Trenton Brendel, Heejoo Choi, Tom Connors, Lauren Corlies, Jason Corliss, Ralf-Jürgen Dettmar, David Dolana, Ewan S. Douglas, John Guzman, Dave Hamara, Walt Harris, Karl Harshman, Carl Hergenrother, Keri Hoadley, John Kidd, Daewook Kim, Jessica S. Li, Manny Montoya, Corwynn Sauve, David Schiminovich, Sanford Selznick, Oswald Siegmund, Michael Ward, Ellie M. Wolcott, and Dennis Zaritsky "Aspera: the UV SmallSat telescope to detect and map the warm-hot gas phase in nearby galaxy halos", Proc. SPIE 11819, UV/Optical/IR Space Telescopes and Instruments: Innovative Technologies and Concepts X, 1181903 (20 August 2021); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2593001

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE