Dr. Gerhardt R. Meurer Profile

Dr. Gerhardt R. Meurer

Astronomer at International Ctr for Radio Astronomy Research

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Publications (5)

Proceedings Article | 15 July 2008 Paper

Project Lyman

Stephan McCandliss, Jeffrey Kruk, William Blair, Mary Elizabeth Kaiser, Paul Feldman, Gerhardt Meurer, William Dixon, David Sahnow, David Neufeld, Roxana Lupu, Brian Fleming, Stephen Smee, B. Andersson, Samuel Moseley, Alexander Kutyrev, Mary Li, George Sonneborn, Oswald Siegmund, John Vallerga, Barry Welsh, Massimo Stiavelli, Rogier Windhorst, Alice Shapley

Proceedings Volume 7011, 701120 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.789574

KEYWORDS: Galactic astronomy, Camera shutters, Stars, Sensors, Photons, Telescopes, Near ultraviolet, Ionization, Spectroscopy, James Webb Space Telescope

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We explore the design of a space mission called Project Lyman that has the goal of quantifying the ionization history of the universe from the present epoch to a redshift of z ~ 3. Observations from WMAP and SDSS show that before a redshift of z (Symbol not available. See manuscript.) 6 the first collapsed objects, possibly dwarf galaxies, emitted Lyman continuum (LyC) radiation shortward of 912 Å that reionized most of the universe. Theoretical estimates of the LyC escape fraction ( f_esc ) required from these objects to complete reionization is f_esc~10%. How LyC escapes from galactic environments, whether it induces positive or negative feedback on the local and global collapse of structures, and the role played by clumping, molecules, metallicity and dust are major unanswered theoretical questions, requiring observational constraint. Numerous intervening Lyman limit systems frustrate the detection of LyC from high z objects. They thin below z ~ 3 where there are reportedly a few cases of apparently very high fesc. At low z there are only controversial detections and a handful of upper limits. A wide-field multi-object spectroscopic survey with moderate spectral and spatial resolution can quantify f_esc within diverse spatially resolved galactic environments over redshifts with significant evolution in galaxy assemblage and quasar activity. It can also calibrate LyC escape against Lyα escape, providing an essential tool to JWST for probing the beginnings of reionization. We present calculations showing the evolution of the characteristic apparent magnitude of star-forming galaxy luminosity functions at 900 Å, as a function of redshift and assumed escape fraction. These calculations allow us to determine the required aperture for detecting LyC and conduct trade studies to guide technology choices and balance science return against mission cost. Finally we review our efforts to build a pathfinding dual order multi-object spectro/telescope with a (0.5°)² field-of-view, using a GSFC microshutter array, and crossed delay-line micro-channel plate detector.

Proceedings Article | 11 October 2004 Paper

FORTIS: pathfinder to the Lyman continuum

Stephan McCandliss, Kevin France, Paul Feldman, Karl Glazebrook, Gerhardt Meurer, Luciana Bianchi, H. Moos, Jeffrey Kruk, William Blair, Ivan Baldry

Proceedings Volume 5488, (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.552799

KEYWORDS: Galactic astronomy, Imaging spectroscopy, Spectral resolution, Spectrographs, Far ultraviolet, Sensors, Monochromatic aberrations, Spectroscopes, Rockets, Spectroscopy

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Proceedings Article | 24 February 2003 Paper

Overview of the Advanced Camera for Surveys on-orbit performance

Holland Ford, Mark Clampin, George Hartig, Garth Illingworth, Marco Sirianni, Andre Martel, Gerhardt Meurer, William McCann, Pamela Sullivan, Frank Bartko, Narcisco Benitez, John Blakeslee, Rychard Bouwens, Tom Broadhurst, Robert Brown, Christopher Burrows, Douglas Campbell, Edward Cheng, Paul Feldman, Marijn Franx, David Golimowski, Caryl Gronwall, Randy Kimble, John Krist, Michael Lesser, Dan Magee, George Miley, Marc Postman, Marc Rafal, Piero Rosati, William Sparks, Hien Tran, Zlatan Tsvetanov, Paul Volmer, Richard White, Robert Woodruff

Proceedings Volume 4854, (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.460040

KEYWORDS: Stars, Coronagraphy, Cameras, Calibration, Charge-coupled devices, Point spread functions, Galactic astronomy, Space telescopes, Optical filters, Spectral resolution

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Proceedings Article | 24 February 2003 Paper

Calibration of geometric distortion in the ACS detectors

Gerhardt Meurer, Don Lindler, John Blakeslee, Colin Cox, Andre Martel, Hien Tran, Rychard Bouwens, Holland Ford, Mark Clampin, George Hartig, Marco Sirianni, Guido De Marchi

Proceedings Volume 4854, (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.460259

KEYWORDS: Stars, Distortion, Calibration, Sensors, Cameras, Charge-coupled devices, Ultraviolet radiation, Space telescopes, Detection and tracking algorithms, Point spread functions

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Proceedings Article | 24 February 2003 Paper

On-orbit performance of the ACS solar blind channel

Hien Tran, Gerhardt Meurer, Holland Ford, Andre Martel, Marco Sirianni, Ralph Bohlin, Mark Clampin, Colin Cox, Guido de Marchi, George Hartig, Randy Kimble, Vic Argabright

Proceedings Volume 4854, (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.474053

KEYWORDS: Sensors, Ultraviolet radiation, Stars, Point spread functions, Contamination, Calibration, Microchannel plates, Image quality, Cameras, Image filtering

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