The COS Legacy Archive Spectroscopic SurveY (CLASSY): A UV Treasury of Star-Forming Galaxies
Abstract
Far-UV spectra are fundamental to our understanding of star-forming galaxies (SFGs), providing a unique window on massive stellar populations, chemical evolution, feedback processes, and reionization. The launch of JWST and construction of the ELTs will soon usher in a new era, pushing the UV spectroscopic frontier to z 15-20. The success of these future endeavors hinges on a comprehensive understanding of the massive star populations and interstellar medium (ISM) gas conditions that power the observed UV spectral features. This requires the level of detail that is only possible in local galaxies. Unfortunately, the most prolific UV spectral database of nearby SFGs not only lacks this requisite sensitivity and resolution, but also has limited parameter space coverage. Here we propose The COS Legacy Archive Spectroscopic SurveY (CLASSY) Treasury, an efficient program that builds upon archival data to create the first high-quality, high-resolution FUV spectral catalog of SFGs at z 0. Our sample of 46 SFGs was selected to span similar properties as seen at high-z, with a large range of masses, metallicities, star formation rates, ionization parameters, and densities. The spectra will detect a suite of emission and absorption lines from massive stars and the ISM. We will use this spectral atlas to investigate the massive stellar populations that populate metal poor galaxies, the physical properties of large-scale outflows that regulate star formation, and the chemical abundance patterns of the gas and stars. CLASSY will improve the diagnostic power of the UV lines for future JWST/ELT surveys, providing a long-lasting legacy to the astronomical community for decades to come.
- Publication:
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HST Proposal
- Pub Date:
- June 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019hst..prop15840B