PUFFINS (Polarimetry in the Ultraviolet to Find Features in INterStellar dust) is a NASA Pioneer-class mission that will study tiny dust grains and their role in the interstellar medium. To do this, a small telescope in a near-Earth orbit will observe about 70 stars to determine how their light has been altered by interstellar dust on its journey to Earth. PUFFINS is planned for launch in 2030.
The primary scientific goal of PUFFINS is to study how tiny dust grains in space interact with ultraviolet light and how they become aligned with the magnetic field of the interstellar medium. PUFFINS will at least triple the sample size last observed 30 years ago by the WUPPE experiment and will use carefully selected targets to investigate important questions that have not yet been resolved. For example, the mission aims to determine why the ultraviolet polarization of some stars is significantly stronger than expected from optical measurements.
PUFFINS is being developed under the leadership of the University of Arizona. The IWF plans to lead the exoplanet science case of the mission, provide the data simulator and the data reduction pipeline, and support the development of an exposure time calculator.
Detailed information about PUFFINS can be found on the mission website.
