The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)

1. The Stratospheric Observatory forInfrared Astronomy (SOFIA) B-G Andersson SOFIA Science Operations Manager Universities Space Research Association (USRA) Dust and Ice, March 30, 2010

2. Outline • This is SOFIA • SOFIA Capabilities • Science Highlights • SOFIA for the professional Astronomer • SOFIA Instrument Development/Asilomar 2010 workshop B-G Andersson

3. SOFIA OverviewStratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy • 2.5 (2.7)m telescope in a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft • Imaging and spectroscopy from 0.3 m to 1.6 mm • Emphasizes the obscured IR (30-300 m) • Operational Altitude • 39,000 to 45,000 feet (12 to 14 km) • Above > 99.8% of obscuring water vapor • Joint Program between the US (80%) and Germany (20%) • First Light in 2010 • 20 year design lifetime –can respond to changing technology • Ops: Science at NASA-Ames; Flight at Dryden FRC (Palmdale- Site 9) • Deployments to the Southern Hemisphere and elsewhere • >120 8-10 hour flights per year • As is standard for NASA observatories – proposals open to US and non-US observers B-G Andersson

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6. Dec. 1, 2009 B-G Andersson

7. M2 Pressure bulkhead Spherical Hydraulic Bearing f/19.6 Focal Plane M3-1 Nasmyth tube M3-2 Primary Mirror M1 Focal Plane Imager Nasmyth: Optical Layout • Observers in pressurized cabin have ready access to the focal plane B-G Andersson

8. Back End of the SOFIA Telescope SOFIA Science Vision Blue Ribbon Panel Review October 24, 2008 B-G Andersson

9. The SOFIA Observatory open cavity (door not shown) Educators work station pressure bulkhead scientist stations, telescope and instrument control, etc. TELESCOPE scientific instrument (1 of 9) B-G Andersson

10. SOFIA Overview, cont. • “Great Observatory” - like operations • User support • Data Analysis and Archive Usage grants (US based investigators) • Planning and observing tools • Comprehensive, on-line archive • Pipeline processing (being developed) • Integrated Education and Public Outreach program • EPO staff to support users and educators • Airborne Ambassador program (flying with specific astronomers) • Planet Partners B-G Andersson

11. Why Air(Space)-borne Observatories for the IR? • Even at the very best ground-based sites, the transmission in the mid- to far- infrared is poor or nonexistent • Cool dust, light molecule rotation lines, atomic fine-structure lines etc., in this range provide unique tracers B-G Andersson

12. Why SOFIA? Space vs. sub-orbital • Aircraft • Replenish consumables • Technology upgrades • Cutting edge applications • Training of instrumentalists • But: • “Human rated” • Fuel cost • SOFIA • Above 99.8% of the water vapor • Transmission at 14 km >80% from 1 to 800 µm; emphasis on the obscured IR regions from 30 to 300 µm • Instrumentation: wide variety, rapidly interchangeable, state-of-the art- Instrument suite to be regularly updated/upgraded • Platform for testing technology and training observers • Mobility: for transient events • Twenty year design lifetime: enables long-term temporal studies • Spacecraft • Above all the atmosphere • Low stable background • More observing time per year • But: • Launch cost • Mass and volume limitations • “Space qualified” technology • No “second chances” • WIRE • HST (-COSTAR/SM 1-4) • ASTRO-E B-G Andersson

13. SOFIA Capabilities B-G Andersson

14. Already in 1:st gen.: wide complement of instruments B-G Andersson

15. SOFIA Photometric Sensitivity B-G Andersson

16. SOFIA Angular Resolution • So, SOFIA is about as sensitive as ISO, and will increase effective sensitivity through future large-area arrays • Easier mapping than Herschel • SOFIA is diffraction limited beyond 25 µm and can produce sharper images than Spitzer B-G Andersson

17. Science Highlights B-G Andersson

18. SOFIA Highlights • Dust photometry • Refractory and Ice Spectroscopy • Polarimetry (second generation) • Magnetic fields of cores • Spectropolarimetry B-G Andersson

19. Thermal Emission from ISM Gas and Dust • SOFIA is the only mission in the next decade that is sensitive to the entire Far-IR SED of a galaxy that is dominated by emission from the ISM excited by radiation from massive stars and supernova shock waves • The SED is dominated by PAH emission, thermal emission from dust grains, and by the main cooling lines of the neutral and ionized ISM NGC2024 Kandori, R., et al. 2007, PASJ, 59, 487 Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) of the entire LMC (courtesy of F. Galliano) B-G Andersson

20. Already in 1:st gen.: wide complement of instruments B-G Andersson

21. Herbig AeBe Post-AGB and PNe Mixed chemistry post-AGB C-rich AGB O-rich AGB Mixed chemistry AGB Deeply embedded YSO HII region refection nebulae The Diversity of Stardust • ISO SWS Spectra: stardust is spectrally diverse in the regime covered by SOFIA • Studies of stardust mineralogy • Evaluation of stardust contributions from various stellar populations • Implications for the lifecycle of gas and dust in galaxies Kandori, R., et al. 2007, PASJ, 59, 487 B-G Andersson

22. Interstellar Ices • Interstellar ices may • Contain significant reservoirs of some elements/species (O) • Allow for chemical evolution not possible in gas-phase reactions B-G Andersson

23. Resolving Power: Gas Phase vs. Solid State Examples of observed IR features: vibration-rotation bands of gaseous CO and pure vibrational features of solid CO and CO2. [ISO SWS data; van Dishoeck et al.] RESOLVING POWERS NEEDED TO EXTRACT ALL INHERENT INFORMATION B-G Andersson

24. Already in 1:st gen.: wide complement of instruments B-G Andersson

25. FIR Polarimetry (Instr. Gen. “1.5”): What’s the Role of Magnetic fields in Star Formation? straight part of the hourglass seen by SHARP (Attard et al. ‘09) “waist” of the hourglass seen by SMA (Girart et al. ‘06) “…at [the Class 0 phase] magnetic fields dominate over turbulence as the key parameter to control the star formation process.” SHARP SMA B-G Andersson

26. Tenuous Cloud 2.0 TA > TB, pA < pB, A ~ B OR TA ~ TB, pA < pB, A > B FIR multi-band Polarimetry – Grain Alignment • Radiative grain alignment model in starless clouds: • Nearly all grains exposed to same ISRF • Large grains are more efficiently • Large grains cool more efficiently • Colder grains better aligned than warm grains • Radiative torques in cores with embedded stars: • Grains near stars aligned • Grains far from stars not well-aligned • Warm grains better aligned than cool grains Vaillancourt et al. B-G Andersson

27. Probing 3D Magnetic Fields Though Ice Line Polarimetry(2:nd Gen. Inst.) Whittet et al. 1989 Ices sublimate at characteristic depths H2O: AV~3.5 mag. CO: AV~5.5 mag. Measuring the polarization in the ice lines allow us to probe the magnetic field selectively “inside” these depths. Comparing opacity and polarization spectra can provide information on the refractory-to-ice volume ratio B-G Andersson

28. Nebulae and PDRs • Fine structure lines from • C II • O I • N II • High-J lines of CO • PAH lines B-G Andersson

29. PDR diagnostics adapted from Kaufman et al. 1999, ApJ, 527, 795 B-G Andersson

30. Comets: Mineral Grains What can SOFIA observations of comets tell us about the origin of the Solar System? ISO Data • Comet dust mineralogy: amorphous, crystalline, and organic constituents • Comparisons with IDPs and meteorites • Comparisons with Stardust • Only SOFIA can make these observations near perihelion Spitzer Data The vertical lines mark features of crystalline Mg-rich crystalline olivine (forsterite) B-G Andersson

31. Toward Occulted Star Motion of Occulting Object Object Shadow of Occulting Object Earth SOFIA Occultation Studies of Objects in our Solar System SOFIA can probe the sizes, structures (rings), and atmospheres of solar system bodies by measuring how they occult background stars • SOFIA is uniquely suited for this because it can deploy over most of the Earth to be in the right place at the right time: • Can pick from hundreds of events each year

32. SOFIA Science Plus: All the great, smart, applications that we didn’t think of, but that YOU will! B-G Andersson

33. Early General Investigator Opportunities • Open Door Flights began at Palmdale in late 2009 • First light images are planned for April 2010 • Short Science in 2010 with FORCAST (5-40 μm imager) and • GREAT (Heterodyne 60 to 200 μm Spectrometer) • Proposals are in and teams have been selected • Very limited number of flights (~3) • GI’s will not fly • Basic Science for GIs in 2011 with FORCAST and GREAT • Draft call was released in Jan 2009 • Final call to be released in April 2010, proposals due July 2 • Longer period (~15 Flights) • Full science operations begin in 2014 B-G Andersson

34. Instrument Development • Second Generation Instruments are about to be solicited. • AO from NASA HQ likely to be issued in early 2011 • Open to all applications • Watch for AO or contact Paul Hertz at NASA HQ. • Workshop to discuss the community’s view to be held at Asilomar (Monterey peninsula, CA), June 6-8, 2010 • Invited review talks • Contributed posters • Large amounts of poster viewing time scheduled B-G Andersson

35. Please join us at Asilomar this June 6-8! B-G Andersson

36. Summary • SOFIA is an airborne, major IR observatory • Close to first light and first science • Exciting Science, also in the Herschel/post-Spitzer era • Many opportunities for involvement both for observers, instrument builders and educators. B-G Andersson

37. Backup slides B-G Andersson

38. Asilomar 2010 Logistics • Asilomar is a former YMCA/YWCA retreat built in “Arts & Crafts” style • Now a California state park • Registration deadline April 2 • No Registration Fee • Lodging and Food (booked via the Asilomar web page): • Three meals a day included in • Several different lodging options available at Asilomar • Asilomar is easily reached from the San Jose or San Francisco airports B-G Andersson

39. Target features by instrument B-G Andersson

40. Venus; Earth’s poorly understood “sister” • Venus has not been thoroughly explored with broadband, high resolution spectroscopy • -- Venus off-limits to Herschel • D/H ratio indicates Venus lost an ocean • -- Missing piece of evidence: where’s the O? • -- Basic atmospheric chemical network not understood. • Observations of atmospheric composition variability (esp. SO2, SO) can constrain possibility of ongoing intermittent volcanic(?) activity • Stratospheric super-rotation not understood GREAT B-G Andersson

41. SOFIA Observing for the community • SOFIA Instruments come in three flavors: • Facility Class Science Instruments (FSI) • Fully supported • Based at the Science Center • FLITECAM, FORCAST, HAWC (FIFI LS) • Principle Investigator Science Instruments (PSI) • Based at builder’s institution • Supported by PI • Generally available without pre-proposal • CASIMIR, EXES (GREAT) • Special Science Instruments (SSI) • Requires collaboration with the instrument PI • HIPO • Full pipeline processing for FSI & PSI being developed B-G Andersson

42. SOFIA User Support • Science Center at NASA Ames • Tools for proposal development & preparation • User Support scientists • Part of the Edwin Hubble Fellowship program • http://www.sofia.usra.edu B-G Andersson

43. Example SOFIA Coverage: Orion KAO polarization map: Schleuning (1998) contour: pointings where s(P) < 0.3% in 4 minutes with SOFIA B-G Andersson

44. The Galactic Center • Extremely high opacity region • Opaque in Visual and NIR • Harbors Super Massive Black Hole • AGN? green 3.6 μm, blue 8.0 μm (IRAC) & red 24 μm (MIPS) B-G Andersson

45. Stellar of non-thermal heating in the GC? from Spaans & Meijerink 2008, ApJL, 678, L5 B-G Andersson

46. SOFIA: First Generation Instruments Dec. 1, 2009 B-G Andersson

47. Asilomar 2010 Topics and Invited Speakers B-G Andersson

48. An object can look radically different depending on the type of light collected from it: Orion regionleft: view at visual wavelengthsright: far-infrared view Dec. 1, 2009 B-G Andersson

49. Stellar Birth and Death Late Stages of Stellar evolution Star Formation Dec. 1, 2009 B-G Andersson

50. Education Programs AAA = Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors Teams of formal & informal educators & select amateur astronomers • Partnered by E&PO with consenting researcher teams, • Involved in flight series w/ research partners • Supported by E&PO after flights to enhance local education PP = Planet Partners Individuals or teams of educators • Partnered by E&PO with SOFIA scientists in their local areas • Not trained for flights SFW = Summer Faculty Workshops • For college and university educators not involved in research • Aimed especially at participants from institutions of under-served populations • Can be coupled with REU program (below) REU = Research Experience for Undergraduates • Summer fellowships at Ames (NSF-sponsored program) • For select undergraduates • Exposure to front-line science and engineering research Dec. 1, 2009 B-G Andersson