The UVEX mission will address various fundamental questions of prime interest in modern astrophysics and is built around three main science objectives : i) pushing back the low-mass, low-metallicity galaxy frontier, ii) probing the dynamic Universe such as merging neutron stars and core-collapse supernovae, and iii) performing an all-sky ultraviolet legacy survey at unprecedented depth.
The Low-Mass, Low-Metallicity Galaxy Frontier
While predicted to be the most numerous galaxy population in the Universe, only a small number of low-mass galaxies have been detected yet and the processes regulating their formation and evolution is poorly known. Such systems are thought to form in metal-poor environments, producing hot and massive stars that emit intense UV radiation. According to the current paradigm of structure formation, low-mass, these objects have played a significant role in the cosmic reionization of the early Universe and in the mass assembly of more massive galaxies, like our own the Milky Way. Deep surveys with UVEX will help uncover vast samples of nearby low-mass galaxies and measure their physical properties (mass , star formation rate, age, etc).
New views of the Dynamic Universe
With its imaging and spectroscopic capabilities, UVEX will be a unique tool to observe catastrophic events such as core-collapse supernovae and neutron stars mergers. In the coming years, upcoming facilities will revolutionize time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy (optical, infrared, gravitational waves) with the identification of vast samples of variable and fast transient objects. UVEX will allow for deep and rapid follow-up of these sources in order to study the energetics of compact object mergers and the final stages of massive stellar evolution.
Deep All-sky Legacy data
Over its two-year mission, UVEX will map the whole sky in two UV bands with cadences ranging from 12 hours to 6 months, enabling both static images and time-domain information with enormous legacy value. This data will provide the deep UV counterpart to forthcoming wide-field optical and infrared surveys with Rubin, Roman and Euclid. These combined datasets will become an extremely valuable resource to the community, allowing to address a wide range of scientific studies.
