Dust in the Interstellar Medium (ISM) is intimately linked to the life cycle of stars. Despite being of such fundamental importance to galaxy evolution, the dynamic behaviour and composition of the ISM are not yet fully understood. Observations of reddened Milky Way OB stars have revealed a strong UV extinction feature around 2175 Å and a precipitous extinction rise to the far UV along the lines of sight. Whilst the carrier(s) for this are at present still being debated, multiple laboratory studies suggest carbonate grains to be the key constituent. EREBUS is a mission concept being developed to study the composition of the ISM in both the Milky Way and Local Group Galaxies, primarily by mapping the spatial distribution of the UV extinction features. As these features are sensitive to the dust composition along the line of sight, EREBUS will provide a wealth of information about the spatial distribution and dynamic behaviour of the carrier(s). The mission proposes to deploy a satellite observatory equipped with a coarse UV spectrograph to map the extinction curve variability in the Milky Way in 3 dimensions and in the Local Group in 2 dimensions. In this paper, we discuss the scientific goals for the project, discuss a proposed observation strategy using an iterative process to develop a hierarchical map, and finally outline the instrument requirements and preliminary spacecraft architecture.

中文翻译：

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EREBUS：欧洲灭绝颠簸调查

星际介质 (ISM) 中的尘埃与恒星的生命周期密切相关。尽管对星系演化如此重要，但 ISM 的动态行为和组成尚未完全了解。对变红的银河系 OB 恒星的观测显示，在 2175 Å 附近有强烈的紫外线消光特征，并且沿着视线向远紫外线急剧消光。虽然目前对此的载体仍在争论中，但多项实验室研究表明碳酸盐颗粒是关键成分。EREBUS 是一个正在开发的任务概念，主要通过绘制紫外线消光特征的空间分布图来研究银河系和本地星系群中 ISM 的组成。由于这些特征对视线沿线的尘埃成分很敏感，EREBUS 将提供有关载体空间分布和动态行为的丰富信息。该任务建议部署一个配备粗紫外光谱仪的卫星天文台，以在 3 维上绘制银河系的消光曲线变化，在 2 维上绘制本地群的消光曲线变化。在本文中，我们讨论了该项目的科学目标，讨论了使用迭代过程开发分层地图的拟议观测策略，最后概述了仪器要求和初步航天器架构。该任务建议部署一个配备粗紫外光谱仪的卫星天文台，以在 3 维上绘制银河系的消光曲线变化，在 2 维上绘制本地群的消光曲线变化。在本文中，我们讨论了该项目的科学目标，讨论了使用迭代过程开发分层地图的拟议观测策略，最后概述了仪器要求和初步航天器架构。该任务建议部署一个配备粗紫外光谱仪的卫星天文台，以在 3 维上绘制银河系的消光曲线变化，在 2 维上绘制本地群的消光曲线变化。在本文中，我们讨论了该项目的科学目标，讨论了使用迭代过程开发分层地图的拟议观测策略，最后概述了仪器要求和初步航天器架构。