The Ionized Milky Way: The Local Volume Mapper (LVM) in SDSS-V

Katharin Kreckel

Poster -- Galactic scale ISM and star formation, Star-forming regions

Connecting studies across the pc (sub-GMC) and kpc (galaxy-wide) scales is fundamental to understanding the physics governing star formation, the structure and energetics of the ISM, the baryon cycle, and ultimately, the evolution of galaxies. LVM in SDSS-V will take the first step towards the “spectral panopticon”, a full spectroscopic image of the sky, providing optical IFU data-cubes to resolve, e.g., SF structures, GMCs, H II regions and young stellar clusters. LVM will cover the bulk of the MW disk at 0.1-1 pc resolution over about 1 steradian of sky. It will also cover the Magellanic Clouds at 10 pc resolution, M31 & M33 at 20 pc resolution, and Local Volume galaxies out to a distance of 4-8 Mpc at ∼100 pc resolution. Stellar spectroscopy with accurate typing and abundances from previous APOGEE observations and from SDSS-V itself as well as resolved stellar photometry and CMDs will allow us to connect the structures in the ISM to the radiation field and to individual sources of feedback. The wide area covered by the LVM will sample a large variety of SF regions caught at different stages of their life cycles, as probed by the age estimated from resolved stellar data. As MPIA and Harvard are both full members of SDSS-V, I will advertise opportunities to get involved now in survey planning and present key science themes LVM will address, including the connection between ionized gas, star formation, and feedback on multiple physical scales.