| Description |
We propose the KINGFISH project (Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: aFar-Infrared Survey with Herschel) of nearby (D<30 Mpc) galaxies mostlydrawn from the SINGS sample, which span a large range of star forming (SF)environments found in the nearby Universe. KINGFISH will provide for thefirst time (1) imaging across the peak of the dust SED at a spatialresolution that matches individual SF complexes, and (2) spectroscopicmaps of key diagnostic lines to constrain the cooling and heatingprocesses of the warm neutral medium and the obscured ionized ISM.The PACS and SPIRE imaging from 75 to 500 microns will produce thefirst comprehensive census of dust in different galactic environments on aspatially resolved basis. KINGFISHs spectral line mapping will samplethe full range of SF environments in regions that have already beentargeted by SINGS IRS mapping. Leveraging the synergy between imagingand spectroscopy, KINGFISH will provide robust measures of thebolometric luminosity and star formation rates, the mass and spatialdistribution of cold dust and the r^ance of different heatingmechanisms in the energy balance of the dust in distinctly differentenvironments. Measurements of CII158 micron, OI63 micron, OIII88 micron,and NII122, 205 micron, will finally provide the diagnostics needed tounderstand two crucial, but so far ill-understood, components of the starformation and feedback matter cycle: the warm neutral medium and theobscured ionized medium.The analysis and modeling of KINGFISHs imaging and spectroscopy will drawon the unique expertise from the Spitzer SINGS survey at shorterwavelengths. The resulting dataset will be of immense astrophysical powerand enormous long-term legacy value, bringing us a crucial step closer tounderstanding star formation and energy feedback on scales of galaxies. Itwill also provide an invaluable foundation for interpreting observationsof more distant galaxies with Herschel, ALMA, and other facilities. |
