Infrared Science and Technology Interest Group
Over the next few months, our talk series will be highlighting research from PRIMA’s Working Groups, with this talk focusing on dust properties in galaxies in the nearby universe. Stay tuned as well for overview talks this fall that highlight PRIMA’s PI science in the areas of Protoplanetary Disks and the Evolution of Dust and Metals.
Location
Virtual
Dates
28 September 2026
9:00am PT / 12:00pm ET
Community
IR STIG
Type
Seminar
Time Domain in the Thermal Infrared: NEOWISE, NEO Surveyor, and the Hunt for Hazardous Asteroids
Speaker
Joseph Masiero (California Institute of Technology / IPAC)
Abstract
Near-earth asteroids provide an opportunity to study remnants from the formation of the Solar system, and their proximity to Earth allows us to probe smaller objects than can be detected in more distant reservoirs. Simultaneously this proximity also presents a hazard to Earth, as these objects are potential impactors. While the majority of surveys dedicated to finding and characterizing asteroids are carried out at visible wavelengths, thermal infrared time-domain imaging provides us deeper sensitivity as well as the ability to determine asteroid sizes based on thermal emission models. In this talk, I will discuss the results and lessons learned from the 14.5-year long infrared sky survey carried out by NEOWISE, as well as our plans for the upcoming NEO Surveyor mission that will detect and characterize the majority of asteroids that pose a significant hazard to Earth.
Exploring the Synergies Between PRIMA and JWST: A Study of PAHs Across Cosmic Time
Speaker
Leonor Arriscado (Centro de Astrobiología / Spanish National Research Council – National Institute of Aerospace Technology)
Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an important component of interstellar dust. They produce prominent infrared emission features in the spectra of galaxies that are sensitive to the physical conditions of the interstellar medium. Understanding how PAH emission varies with the properties of galaxies can therefore provide insights into the processes that govern the evolution of dust and the interstellar medium. However, the formation, evolution, and destruction of PAHs across different galactic environments are still not fully understood. In this talk, I will discuss the role of PAHs in galaxy formation. I will present studies that highlight the potential of PAHs to probe the physical conditions of galaxies, while also revealing the need for larger and more systematic observations. Finally, I will discuss the potential of PRIMA to advance this field through its synergy with facilities such as JWST and ALMA that would enable systematic studies of PAH emission across a wide range of galaxy properties and redshifts. Together, observations with these facilities could help establish how PAH emission is connected to the physical conditions of galaxies and how these connections evolve across cosmic time.
Seminar Connection
Please visit the P-CAST webpage https://prima.ipac.caltech.edu/page/p-cast for a link to join and to see all of our upcoming speakers!
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The post IR STIG PRIMA Seminar, 28 Sept 2026 appeared first on NASA Science.