The Terahertz Intensity Mapper: a stratospheric view of cosmic evolution

 

The deep history of our universe is written in long-wavelength radiation, from the cosmic microwave background to the redshifted glow of early stars and galaxies. Stratospheric balloons provide a unique window on this history from above Earth’s obscuring atmosphere, as well as a technological development platform for future observatories in space. The Terahertz Intensity Mapper (TIM) is a new Antarctic balloon mission that will map the history of cosmic star formation throughout a vast spacetime volume, promising new insights into the forces behind galaxy assembly. TIM’s powerful far-infrared spectrometers, deploying 7200 superconducting kinetic inductance detectors, will conduct a path-breaking demonstration of far-infrared line-intensity mapping. I will discuss TIM’s motivation and architecture, its mission status looking toward a 2027/28 Antarctic flight, and a few words about what might come next.