INFRARED SMALLSAT FOR CLUSTER EVOLUTION ASTROPHYSICS (ISCEA)

The proposed Infrared SmallSat for Cluster Evolution Astrophysics (ISCEA) mission will significantly advance our understanding of galaxy evolution through observations of galaxy clusters and their cosmic web environments. These observations will help us understand how galaxies evolved in the cosmic web of dark matter during the peak epoch of galaxy formation. ISCEA will conduct a complete census of the star formation activity in a large mass-limited sample of the earliest thermalized galaxy clusters by mapping the 3D distribution of galaxies down to a star formation rate limit of 5 M_¤/yr out to a radius of 10 Mpc for all clusters more massive than 10¹⁴ M_¤ at 1.6 < z < 2.4, while probing the cosmic structure surrounding each cluster as traced by emission line galaxies. These observations will permit a detailed study of the star formation activity as functions of cluster mass, radius and environmental density over the key Gyr in which clusters coalesced from the cosmic web, providing key insights into galaxy evolution during this critical epoch.

The ISCEA instrument is an innovative cost-effective multi-slit near-infrared spectrograph from Southwest Research Institute, with a field of view >200 times that of the Hubble Space Telescope; it is capable of observing >500 galaxies simultaneously over a range of 0.9 to 1.7 µm, a regime not accessible from the ground without large gaps in coverage. Pointing control of better than 2 arcseconds is provided by the Blue Canyon Technologies, Inc. high performance 150 kg class small satellite. The COSPAR 2019 presentation will provide an overview of the ISCEA science and information regarding the implementation of the ISCEA small satellite.