The legacy of SOFIA and perspectives on the far-infrared

A. Bryant; A. Krabbe; B. Schulz; P. Maier; H. Zinnecker

doi:10.1117/12.3019708

23 August 2024 The legacy of SOFIA and perspectives on the far-infrared

A. Bryant, A. Krabbe, B. Schulz, P. Maier, H. Zinnecker

Proceedings Volume 13092, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave; 130920D (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3019708
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2024, Yokohama, Japan

Abstract

On 29th September 2022, the airborne observatory SOFIA flew its final science flight, concluding nearly 12 years of successful science operations. While the Astro2020 review has enabled the possibility of a NASA far-IR probe mission, such a platform - if realized instead of the alternative X-ray option - would likely not observe at best until the early-2030s. Therefore, for at least the next decade, the wavelength regime between ~30-300 µm has become inaccessible to the international community, aside from an assortment of upcoming and planned balloon-borne missions. This regime encompasses a range of key astrophysical observables across multiple spatial scales - from local star-forming cores, to molecular cloud complexes, to entire galaxies. As demonstrated by SOFIA observations, these include tracers of star formation & feedback, strong gas cooling lines, and diagnostics of dense ISM morphology, dynamics & polarization. The launch of JWST has opened new possibilities in the near- and mid-IR universe; however, the lack of complementary access to the far-IR will hamper our understanding of key concepts. In this paper, we will overview some of SOFIA’s science highlights, and present a number of major science cases for continuing far-IR observations. We will outline ongoing efforts to reprocess and preserve SOFIA’s scientific and technical archive. Finally, we will discuss how SOFIA’s scientific legacy was enabled by particular instrumentation & platform capabilities, establish where and how these capabilities can be improved upon, and place these in the context of future airborne and spaceborne far-IR mission proposals and concepts.

Conference Presentation

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

A. Bryant, A. Krabbe, B. Schulz, P. Maier, and H. Zinnecker "The legacy of SOFIA and perspectives on the far-infrared", Proc. SPIE 13092, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 130920D (23 August 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3019708

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