Dr. Locke Spencer Colloquium
Fri. Jan. 29 12:30 PM
- Fri. Jan. 29 01:20 PM
Contact: Andrea Wiebe
Location: via Zoom
PUPSS Guest speaker, Dr. Locke Spencer
A Canadian Perspective on the Past, Present, and Future of the Far-Infrared Universe
Over half of the energy emitted by the Universe appears in the relatively unexplored Far-Infrared (FIR) spectral region, which is virtually opaque from the ground and must be observed by space-borne instrumentation. The European Space Agency (ESA) Herschel and Planck Space Telescopes provided the first full-sky and broad-band access to the cosmos in the FIR spectral region. Herschel was comprised of three instruments which conducted imaging and spectroscopy in the FIR, including the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE), with the Canadian contribution to SPIRE directed by the University of Lethbridge Astronomical Instrumentation Group (AIG). This lecture also introduces the Far-Infrared Universe, and Canadian perspective on associated telescopes and scientific instrumentation, past, present, and including future missions and mission concepts. Targets of interest include relatively nearby star formation, all the way out to the oldest photons available to us from the cosmic microwave background.
Dr. Spencer Bio:
Dr. Spencer completed a BSc in Engineering from the University of Alberta, and an MSc and Ph.D. Physics degrees at the University of Lethbridge in 2003, 2005, and 2009. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Cardiff University from 2009-2013. He has worked extensively on Fourier transform spectroscopy in the far-infrared including participation on the ESA Herschel/SPIRE and Planck/HFI instrument teams. He is currently a Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Experimental Astrophysics (2013-2023) and supports current space missions while developing technology for future experiments in the far-infrared. He also serves as an editor for the Open Journal of Astrophysics.
Missed the colloquium!? Watch it here: https://uwcloud.uwinnipeg.ca/s/HDrdMHbtKjbdLCm