Ultraviolet Extinction Sky Survey (UVESS): A mission concept for probing the interstellar medium in the Milky Way and Local Group galaxies

TL;DR

UVESS is a proposed small satellite mission designed to map ultraviolet extinction variations across the sky, providing insights into interstellar dust properties in the Milky Way and Local Group galaxies.

Contribution

This paper introduces the UVESS mission concept, outlining its science goals and instrument design for studying interstellar medium through UV extinction mapping.

Findings

Mapping of UV extinction curve variations across the sky.

Insights into interstellar dust composition and processing.

Feasibility of small satellite UV instrumentation for ISM studies.

Abstract

The 2175 {\AA} bump shows considerable variations in its strength, width, and central wavelength when observed along different sightlines in the Milky Way and other galaxies. These variations offer valuable insights into the composition, size distribution, and processing of interstellar dust grains along different sightlines. This paper introduces a mission concept called UVESS (Ultraviolet Extinction Sky Survey) aimed at exploring the composition of the interstellar medium (ISM) within both the Milky Way and nearby Local Group Galaxies by mapping the variation of UV extinction curve slopes and the 2175 {\AA} feature across a majority of the sky to gain insights into the makeup of the ISM. Recent advancements in UV instrumentation and technologies pave the way for the development of high-throughput instruments in compact form factors. In this paper, we outline mission science goals and instrument concept tailored for a small satellite-based platform dedicated to the study of UV extinction.