Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Jul 1995
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1995hst..prop.5968f&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #5968
Mathematics
Logic
Hst Proposal Id #5968 Galaxies &Amp, Clusters
Scientific paper
The integrated optical flux from the diffuse extragalactic background light (EBL) is a unique cosmological signature of the Universe. It is a volume integral of energy that has been continuously generated from the first epoch of star formation to the present day. As such it is a fundamental physical quantity, unique to this Universe and profound in its role in ultimately constraining galaxy evolution, star formation and chemical enrichment models of the Universe. The numerical value of this quantity is still unknown; however, HST is now capable of measuring it. Ground-based attempts to measure the EBL have been dominated by systematics and frustrated by the Earth's atmosphere, by opacity in the UV and by intense line emission (airglow) in the optical and near infrared. With HST we can directly access the ultraviolet and near-infrared portions of the spectrum for the first time, as well as work at optical wavelengths where the foreground contamination is reduced by as much as an order of magnitude. Furthermore, the IRAS mission has allowed us to select low 100Mum (dust- free) high-latitude windows out of the Galactic plane. Given these ultra-dark, transparent lines of sight, combined with the broad range of WFPC2 sensitivity, we are confident that a firm measurement of the integrated light and broadband spectrum of the EBL is now feasible. HST is uniquely poised to undertake this long overdue cosmological measurement.
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