Predicted capabilities of the SPRITE SmallSat for a low-redshift Lyman continuum emission survey
Journal Article
Overview
abstract
Ionizing Lyman continuum (LyC; λ<912 Å) radiation from low-redshift (z∼0.3) galaxies provides crucial insight into the processes that contributed to cosmic reionization. Although the James Webb Space Telescope has observed galaxies at redshifts as high as z∼14, detecting LyC beyond z∼3 is challenging due to absorption by neutral hydrogen in the intergalactic medium (IGM). Low-redshift LyC emitters (LCEs), therefore, act as proxies for their high-redshift counterparts, enabling direct measurements of LyC escape fractions with reduced IGM interference. These observations allow detailed ancillary studies of galaxy properties and the mechanisms driving ionizing photon escape, which cannot be directly observed at the epoch of reionization. We examine the capabilities of the Supernova remnants and Proxies for Re-Ionization Testbed Experiment (SPRITE) SmallSat, designed to study LyC emission from star-forming galaxies at 0.16<z<0.4. SPRITE uses advanced mirror coatings and a highly sensitive far-ultraviolet imaging spectrograph, enabling it to probe LyC from galaxies that have been difficult to study with prior and existing instruments. To assess SPRITE’s predicted performance in LyC studies, we select eight previously confirmed LCEs from the Low-redshift Lyman Continuum Survey as commissioning targets. Observations of these commissioning LCEs will validate SPRITE’s LyC sensitivity and characterize its detection limits. This will enable the broader SPRITE low-redshift LCE survey, which will provide new constraints on the physics of LyC escape and help bridge the gap between low- and high-redshift LyC studies. SPRITE will also inform the design and scientific potential of future Lyman-UV missions, including the Habitable Worlds Observatory.
