Stars form through the fragmentation and collapse of dense cloud cores in the interstellar medium, but some of the first stages in this process are not well understood. SPIRE will investigate galaxy and structure formation in the early universe, and study the earliest stages of star formation.

Huge clouds of dust grains often absorb ultraviolet radiation emitted by the stars near them. The heated dust then cools by radiating at infrared wavelengths. To understand all the processes occurring in a galaxy, we need to measure the total energy emitted at all wavelengths.

How it works

Since most of the light the early galaxies emit can only be detected at the far-infrared part of the spectrum, SPIRE makes spectral and photometric observations at far-infrared and sub-millimetre wavelengths. It will also measure the flux-the infrared light-in several wavelength bands and make large-scale surveys of the sky at a high angular resolution. With this information, scientists will know more about the spectral energy distribution of stars and galaxies and know more about how they formed.

Canada is contributing a Fourier Transform Spectrometer to test instrument models, data analysis software, as well as personnel for the test teams. Canadian scientists will also participate in the SPIRE Instrument Control Centre. The University of Lethbridge writes software to allow researchers to process the enormous amount of data collected during observations, and transform the raw data into meaningful results such as images and spectra.

The Canadian SPIRE team led by Professor David Naylor of the University of Lethbridge.
(Source: Prof. David Naylor)

The Principal Investigator for SPIRE in Canada is Professor David Naylor at the University of Lethbridge. Professor Gary Davis of the University of Saskatchewan was Principal Investigator in Canada until July 2003.

For more information on SPIRE, please visit the Herschel-SPIRE website at the University of Lethbridge.