PRIMA PI Science Overview

The PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) utilizes an actively cooled 1.8-meter mirror to investigate the fundamental physics of the baryon cycle, tracing the flow of matter and energy from the microphysics of dust to the macrophysics of galactic evolution. This talk describes the PRIMA PI Science program, a dedicated 25% of the nominal mission lifetime addressing three themes: the origins of planetary atmospheres, the evolution of galactic ecosystems, and the buildup of dust and metals. By measuring rotational transitions of water and HD, PRIMA probes the mass distribution and phase transitions of volatiles in protoplanetary disks, providing a laboratory for the birth of planetary atmospheres. On galactic scales, PRIMA utilizes far-infrared fine-structure lines to decouple the radiative and mechanical energy injection from star formation and black hole accretion, revealing the feedback mechanisms that govern how supermassive black holes and their host galaxies coevolve across cosmic time. Finally, a polarimetric survey of the Local Universe investigates the condensed matter physics of interstellar dust grain alignment and structural evolution, charting the chemical enrichment of the cosmos. The remaining 75% of the mission is dedicated to General Observer programs, offering the community an unprecedented observational suite for a broad range of astrophysics investigations.