Abstract
The Polstar small explorer concept is for an ultraviolet (UV) spectropolarimetry space telescope mission with a focus on massive star astrophysics. The instrument waveband will be from 115 nm to 286 nm for spectroscopy, and from 122 nm to 286 nm for polarimetry. All four Stokes parameters, I, Q, U, and V , will be measured at a resolving power of R=20,000 (15 km s−1 velocity resolution). The telescope aperture will be 40 cm with an effective area of about 22 cm2 at a reference wavelength of 150 nm. The thrust of the science goals will be to determine the astrophysics of angular momentum exchange and transport, and consequences for massive star properties and evolution. This includes the effects of rapid to critical rotation for individual stars (magnetic and non-magnetic), and the effects of mass transfer for massive binaries, including identification of stripped core stars. If selected by the NASA/SMEX program, Polstar would launch around 2031 and observe ∼300 stars to achieve science goals. The mission will include a Guest Observer program to advance discovery in other areas of astrophysics.
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