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EREBUS: the EuRopean Extinction BUmp Survey

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Abstract

Dust in the Interstellar Medium (ISM) is intimately linked to the life cycle of stars. Despite being of such fundamental importance to galaxy evolution, the dynamic behaviour and composition of the ISM are not yet fully understood. Observations of reddened Milky Way OB stars have revealed a strong UV extinction feature around 2175 Å and a precipitous extinction rise to the far UV along the lines of sight. Whilst the carrier(s) for this are at present still being debated, multiple laboratory studies suggest carbonate grains to be the key constituent. EREBUS is a mission concept being developed to study the composition of the ISM in both the Milky Way and Local Group Galaxies, primarily by mapping the spatial distribution of the UV extinction features. As these features are sensitive to the dust composition along the line of sight, EREBUS will provide a wealth of information about the spatial distribution and dynamic behaviour of the carrier(s). The mission proposes to deploy a satellite observatory equipped with a coarse UV spectrograph to map the extinction curve variability in the Milky Way in 3 dimensions and in the Local Group in 2 dimensions. In this paper, we discuss the scientific goals for the project, discuss a proposed observation strategy using an iterative process to develop a hierarchical map, and finally outline the instrument requirements and preliminary spacecraft architecture.

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Acknowledgements

The work reported here began with a project set at the ESA/FFG Alpbach Summer School held in Austria in July 2017. The data used to define the mission requirements and observation strategy are updated to August 2017. The authors would like to thank Peter Falkner and Michaela Gitsch, as well as the rest of the programme committee. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the support of their respective national sponsoring agencies and universities.

Author information

Author notes

  1. P. G. Madonia

    Present address: Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA

  2. A. J. May

    Present address: STFC Daresbury Laboratory, Keckwick Lane, Daresbury, Cheshire, WA4 4AD, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Observatoire de Paris - GEPI, 5 place Janssen, Meudon, France

    L. Capitanio

  2. Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 5, 02-316, Warsaw, Poland

    M. Bartylak

  3. Institut Polytechnique des Sciences Avancées, 63 Blvd de Brandebourg, 94200, Ivry-sur-Seine, France

    M. Cui

  4. Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491, Trondheim, Norway

    B. Engegaard

  5. Department of Aviation, FH Joanneum Graz, Alte Poststraße 149, 8020, Graz, Austria

    M. Gassner

  6. Institute of Physics, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 5, 8010, Graz, Austria

    S. G. Heinemann

  7. Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Schmiedlstr. 6, 8042, Graz, Austria

    G. Kargl

  8. Deutsches SOFIA Institut, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 29, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany

    S. T. Latzko

  9. Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza - Universitá di Roma, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy

    P. G. Madonia

  10. Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK

    A. J. May

  11. Department of Astronomy, University of Geneva, Chemin d’Ecogia 16, 1290, Versoix, Switzerland

    A. Postel

  12. Department of Electronics, Computer Technology and Projects, Polytechnic University of Cartagena, Plaza del Hospital 1, 30203, Cartagena, Spain

    J. Rodriguez Munoz

  13. Fakultät für Mathematik und Informatik, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany

    G. J. Schwarzkopf

  14. SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Landleven 12, 9747 AD, Groningen, The Netherlands

    R. F. Shipman

  15. Department of Physics and Institute for Theoretical and Computational Physics, University of Crete, GR-71003, Heraklion, Greece

    R. Skalidis

  16. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, UK

    V. Trivino Herrero

  17. Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Lulea University of Technology, Kiruna, Sweden

    K. Wikman

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  1. L. Capitanio
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Correspondence to P. G. Madonia, A. J. May or A. Postel.

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Capitanio, L., Bartylak, M., Cui, M. et al. EREBUS: the EuRopean Extinction BUmp Survey. Exp Astron 50, 145–158 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-020-09667-8

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