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arXiv · 1906.01657

BlueMUSE: Project Overview and Science Cases

Johan Richard·Roland Bacon·Jérémy Blaizot·Samuel Boissier·Alessandro Boselli·NicolasBouché·Jarle Brinchmann·Norberto Castro·Laure Ciesla·Paul Crowther·Emanuele Daddi·Stefan Dreizler·Pierre-Alain Duc·David Elbaz·Benoit Epinat·Chris Evans·Matteo Fossati·Michele Fumagalli·Miriam Garcia·Thibault Garel·Matthew Hayes·Angela Adamo·Artemio Herrero·Emmanuel Hugot·Andrew Humphrey·Pascale Jablonka·Sebastian Kamann·Lex Kaper·Andreas Kelz·Jean-Paul Kneib·Alex de Koter·Davor Krajnović·Rolf-Peter Kudritzki·Norbert Langer·Carmela Lardo·Floriane Leclercq·Danny Lennon·Guillaume Mahler·Fabrice Martins·Richard Massey·Peter Mitchell·Ana Monreal-Ibero·Paco Najarro·Cyrielle Opitom·Polychronis Papaderos·Céline Péroux·Yves Revaz·Martin M. Roth·Philippe Rousselot·Andreas Sander·Charlotte Simmonds Wagemann·Ian Smail·Anthony Mark Swinbank·Frank Tramper·Tanya Urrutia·Anne Verhamme·Jorick Vink·Jeremy Walsh·Peter Weilbacher·Martin Wendt·Lutz Wisotzki·Bin Yang
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Abstract

We present the concept of BlueMUSE, a blue-optimised, medium spectral resolution, panoramic integral field spectrograph based on the MUSE concept and proposed for the Very Large Telescope. With an optimised transmission down to 350 nm, a larger FoV (1.4 x 1.4 arcmin$^2$) and a higher spectral resolution compared to MUSE, BlueMUSE will open up a new range of galactic and extragalactic science cases allowed by its specific capabilities, beyond those possible with MUSE. For example a survey of massive stars in our galaxy and the Local Group will increase the known population of massive stars by a factor $>$100, to answer key questions about their evolution. Deep field observations with BlueMUSE will also significantly increase samples of Lyman-alpha emitters, spanning the era of Cosmic Noon. This will revolutionise the study of the distant Universe: allowing the intergalactic medium to be detected unambiguously in emission, enabling the study of the exchange of baryons between galaxies and their surroundings. By 2030, at a time when the focus of most of the new large facilities (ELT, JWST) will be on the infra-red, BlueMUSE will be a unique facility, outperforming any ELT instrument in the Blue/UV. It will have a strong synergy with ELT, JWST as well as ALMA, SKA, Euclid and Athena.

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Johan Richard, Roland Bacon, Jérémy Blaizot, Samuel Boissier, Alessandro Boselli, NicolasBouché, Jarle Brinchmann, Norberto Castro, Laure Ciesla, Paul Crowther, Emanuele Daddi, Stefan Dreizler, Pierre-Alain Duc, David Elbaz, Benoit Epinat, Chris Evans, Matteo Fossati, Michele Fumagalli, Miriam Garcia, Thibault Garel, Matthew Hayes, Angela Adamo, Artemio Herrero, Emmanuel Hugot, Andrew Humphrey, Pascale Jablonka, Sebastian Kamann, Lex Kaper, Andreas Kelz, Jean-Paul Kneib, Alex de Koter, Davor Krajnović, Rolf-Peter Kudritzki, Norbert Langer, Carmela Lardo, Floriane Leclercq, Danny Lennon, Guillaume Mahler, Fabrice Martins, Richard Massey, Peter Mitchell, Ana Monreal-Ibero, Paco Najarro, Cyrielle Opitom, Polychronis Papaderos, Céline Péroux, Yves Revaz, Martin M. Roth, Philippe Rousselot, Andreas Sander, Charlotte Simmonds Wagemann, Ian Smail, Anthony Mark Swinbank, Frank Tramper, Tanya Urrutia, Anne Verhamme, Jorick Vink, Jeremy Walsh, Peter Weilbacher, Martin Wendt, Lutz Wisotzki, Bin Yang. 2019-06-04. BlueMUSE: Project Overview and Science Cases. https://arxiv.org/abs/1906.01657

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