FLUID: a rocket-borne pathfinder instrument for high efficiency UV band selection imaging

Abstract

The Far-and Lyman-Ultraviolet Imaging Demonstrator (FLUID) is a rocket-borne multi-band arcsecond-level Ultraviolet (UV) imaging instrument covering four bands between 92 – 193 nm. FLUID will observe nearby galaxies to find and characterize the most massive stars, the primary drivers of the chemical and dynamical evolution of galaxies, and the co-evolution of the surrounding galactic environment. The FLUID short wave channel is designed to suppress efficiency at Lyman alpha wavelengths, while enhancing the reflectivity of shorter wavelengths. Utilizing this technology, FLUID will take the first ever images of local galaxies isolated in the Lyman ultraviolet. As a pathfinder instrument, FLUID will employ and increase TRL of band-selecting UV coatings, and solar-blind UV detector technologies including microchannel plate and solid-state detectors; technologies prioritized in the 2022 NASA Astrophysical Biennial Technology Report. These technologies enable high throughput and high sensitivity observations in four co-aligned UV imaging bands that make up the FLUID instrument. We present the design of FLUID, status on the technology development, and results from initial assembly and calibration of the FLUID instrument.

Far- and Lyman-ultraviolet imaging demonstrator: a rocket-borne pathfinder instrument for high efficiency ultraviolet band selection imaging

“…1), designed to investigate massive-star formation in nearby galaxies and obtain the first morphological classification of nearby galaxies in the LUV. 1 The highest mass stars (O-and B-type stars; ≈5 − 200M solar 2 ), born in short-lived bursts of star formation, dominate the stellar luminosity of these early galaxies and are the strongest drivers of a galaxy's on-going kinematic and chemical evolution. [3][4][5] The FLUID instrument will leverage a novel selection of channels to image local galaxies across the LUV and FUV bandpasses for the first time.…”

Narrowband mirrors based on fluorides tuned at vacuum ultraviolet wavelengths

“…The future technology of LUMOS is currently being tested with the Far-and Lyman-Ultraviolet Imaging Demonstrator (FLUID) sounding rocket payload, with important scientific goals of identifying the VUV morphological characteristics of low redshift galaxies for the first time in the spectral range of 100 to 115 nm [ 4,5 ]. The proposed telescope mirrors for the FLUID payload are different medium-and narrow-bands tuned in different parts of the VUV, which will be developed by GOLD-IO-CSIC [ 6 ] (GOLD is the Spanish acronym for Thin Films Optics Group, Madrid, Spain), following two different approaches.…”