P
Acronyms and Abbreviations
4MOST | 4-Metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope |
A&G | acquisition and guiding |
AAAC | Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee |
AAAS | American Association for the Advancement of Science |
AAG | Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants |
AAS | American Astronomical Society |
ACT | Atacama Cosmology Telescope |
ACTPOL | Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarization Survey |
ADA | Americans with Disabilities Act |
ADAP | Astrophysics Data Analysis Program |
ADAS | Astronomical Data Archiving System |
AEON | Astronomical Event Observatory Network |
AER | Astronomy Education Research |
AGB | asymptotic giant branch |
AGEP | Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate |
AGN | active galactic nuclei |
AI | artificial intelligence |
AIP | American Institute of Physics |
AIPS | Astronomical Image Processing System |
ALMA | Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array |
AM CVn | Canum Venaticorum |
AMANDA | Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array |
AMEGO | All-Sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory |
AMO | atomic, molecular, and optical |
ANITA | Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna |
AO | adaptive optics |
AO | announcement of opportunity |
AON | Arctic Observing Network |
APC | activity, project, or state of the profession white paper |
APL | Applied Physics Laboratory |
APO | Apache Point Observatory |
APOGEE | Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment |
APRA | Astrophysics Research and Analysis |
APS | American Physical Society |
APT | Advanced Particle-Astrophysics Telescope |
ARA | Askaryan Radio Array |
ARC | Astrophysics Research Consortium Telescope |
ARGOS | Advanced Rayleigh Guided Ground Layer Adaptive Optics System |
ARIANNA | Antarctic Ross Ice-Shelf Antenna Neutrino Array |
ARIEL | Atmospheric Remote Sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-Survey |
ASAS-SN | All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae |
ASCR | Advanced Scientific Computing Research |
ASKAP | Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder |
ASM | adaptive secondary mirror |
AST | NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences |
Athena | Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics |
ATI | Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation |
ATP | Astrophysics Theory Program |
AU | astronomical unit |
AUI | Associated Universities, Inc. |
AURA | Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy |
AXAF | Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility |
AXIS | Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite |
BAO | baryon acoustic oscillations |
BBN | Big Bang Nucleosynthesis |
BH | black hole |
BICEP | Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization |
BOINC | Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing |
CALIFA | Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area |
CARMA | Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy |
CASTOR | Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical and UV Research |
CATE | cost and technical evaluation |
CCAT | Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope |
CCD | charge-coupled device |
CDM | cold dark matter |
CE | Cosmic Explorer |
CERN | European Council for Nuclear Research (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) |
CETUS | Cosmic Evolution Through UV Surveys |
CGI | coronagraph instrument |
CGM | circumgalactic medium |
CHARA | Center for High Resolution Astronomy |
CHEOPS | Characterizing Exoplanet Satellite |
CHIME | Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment |
CHORD | Canadian Hydrogen Observatory and Radio-Transient Detector |
CLASS | Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor |
CMB | cosmic microwave background |
CMB-S4 | Cosmic Microwave Background Stage 4 |
CME | coronal mass ejection |
CMOS | complementary metal oxide semiconductor |
CMS | concept maturation study |
CNES | Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales/National Centre for Space Studies |
CNM | cold neutral medium |
CORF | Committee on Radio Frequencies |
CoRoT | Convection Rotation and Planetary Transits |
COS | Cosmic Origins Spectrograph |
COSI | Compton Spectrometer and Imager |
COSMO | Coronal Solar Magnetism Observatory |
COVID-19 | coronavirus disease 2019 |
CPD | circumplanetary disk |
CPU | central processing unit |
CSBF | Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility |
CSDC | Community Science and Data Center |
CSMA | Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy |
CSO | Caltech Submillimeter Observatory |
CSWA | Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy |
CTA | Cherenkov Telescope Array |
CTE | coefficient of thermal expansion |
CTIO | Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory |
DA | discovery area |
DECam | Dark Energy Camera |
DESI | Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument |
DFW | drop, fail, or withdraw |
DKIST | Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope |
DLR | Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V./German Aerospace Center |
DM | dark matter |
DMR | Division of Materials Research |
DMS | Division of Mathematical Sciences |
DoD | Department of Defense |
DOE | Department of Energy |
DRM | design reference mission |
DSA-2000 | Deep Synoptic Array 2000 |
DSOC | deep space optical communications |
DST/HCIT | Decadal Survey Testbed/High Contrast Imaging Testbed |
EBIO | Education, Broader Impacts, and Outreach |
EDGES | Experiment to Detect the Global EoR Signature |
E-ELT | European Extremely Large Telescope |
EGS | Extended Groth Strip |
EHT | Event Horizon Telescope |
ELT | Extremely Large Telescope |
ELTP | Extremely Large Telescope Program |
EM | electromagnetic |
EoR | epoch of reionization |
EOVSA | Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array |
EP3 | Effective Practices for Physics Programs |
EPRV | extreme precision radial velocity |
eROSITA | Extended Roentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array |
ESA | European Space Agency |
ESCAPE | Extreme-Ultraviolet Stellar Characterization for Atmospheric Physics and Evolution |
ESDIS | Earth Science Data and Information System |
ESM | Electromagnetic Spectrum Management Group |
ESO | European Southern Observatory |
ESS | Exoplanet Science Strategy |
ETL | Exoplanet Technology Laboratory |
Euclid DF-Fornax | Euclid Deep Field Fornax |
Euclid DF-S | Euclid Deep Field South |
Euclid NEP | Euclid North Ecliptic Pole |
EUV | extreme ultraviolet |
EVLA | Expanded Very Large Array |
Far-IR | far-infrared |
FASR | Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope |
FaST | Faculty and Student Teams |
FAST | Five-Hundred-Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope |
FBOT | fast and blue optical transient |
FCC | Federal Communications Commission |
FDSS | Faculty Development in Space Sciences |
FIP | Far-IR Imager Polarimeter |
FMR | SOFIA Five Year Flagship Mission Review |
FOBOS | Fiber-Optic Broadband Optical Spectrograph |
FOM | figure of merit |
FOV | field of view |
FRB | fast radio burst |
FTE | full-time employee |
FTS | Fourier transform spectrometer |
FUV | far ultraviolet |
FY | fiscal year |
GADGET | Galaxies with Dark Matter and Gas Interact |
GALAH | Galactic Archaeology with HERMES |
GALFA | Galactic Arecibo L-Band Feed Array HI Survey |
GBO | Green Bank Observatory |
GBT | Green Bank Telescope |
GC | globular cluster |
G-CLEF | GMT Consortium Large Earth Finder |
GECAM | Gravitational Wave High-Energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-Sky Monitor |
GeMS | Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System |
GEP | Galaxy Evolution Probe |
GeV | gigaelectronvolt |
GLAO | ground layer adaptive optics |
GMACS | GMT Multi-Object Astronomy and Cosmology Spectrograph |
GmagAO-X | Giant Magellan Telescope Extreme Adaptive Optics |
GMT | Giant Magellan Telescope |
GMTIFS | GMT Integral Field Spectrograph |
GMTNIRS | GMT Near-IR Spectrograph |
GNAO | Gemini North Adaptive Optics |
GO | guest observer |
GOMMTD | Great Observatory Mission Maturation and Technology Development |
GONG | Global Oscillations Network Group |
GOODS-N | Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-North |
GOODS-S | Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-South |
GPI | Gemini Planet Imager |
GPS | global positioning system |
GPU | graphical processing unit |
GR | general relativity |
GRB | gamma-ray burst |
GRE | Graduate Record Examination |
GR-MHD | general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics |
GST | Goode Solar Telescope |
GUSTO | Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory |
GW | gravitational wave |
GWOSC | Gravitational Wave Open Science Center |
Gyr | gigayear |
HabEx | Habitable Exoplanet Observatory |
HAWC | High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory |
HBCU | Historically Black College and University |
HE | high energy |
HEASARC | High Energy Astrophysics Science Research Center |
HEP | High Energy Physics |
HERA | Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array |
HERMES | Heliophysics Environmental and Radiation Measurement Experiment Suite |
HET | Hobby-Eberly Telescope |
HI | neutral hydrogen |
HIRAX | Hydrogen Intensity and Real-Time Analysis Experiment |
HOSTS | Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Systems |
HPC | high-performance computing |
HPD | half power diameter |
HR | Hertzsprung-Russell |
HSI | Hispanic Serving Institution |
HST | Hubble Space Telescope |
HTC | high-throughput computing |
HXDI | High Definition X-ray Imager |
HZ | habitable zone |
IACT | Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope |
IAU | International Astronomical Union |
IceCube-Gen2 | IceCube Generation 2 |
ICM | intracluster medium |
IFU | integral field unit |
IGM | intergalactic medium |
IGW | inflationary gravitational waves |
IMBH | intermediate-mass black hole |
IMF | initial mass function |
INCITE | Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment |
IPAC | Infrared Processing and Analysis Center |
IPTA | International Pulsar Timing Array |
IR | infrared |
IRAF | Image Reduction and Analysis Facility |
IRIS | Infrared Imaging Spectrometer |
IR/O/UV | infrared/optical/ultraviolet |
IRTF | Infrared Telescope Facility |
ISM | interstellar medium |
ISO | Infrared Space Observatory |
ISS | International Space Station |
ITU | International Telecommunications Union |
IXO | International X-ray Observatory |
IVOA | International Virtual Observatory Alliance |
IXPE | Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer |
JAXA | Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency |
JHU | Johns Hopkins University |
JPL | Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
JWST | James Webb Space Telescope |
KAGRA | Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector |
KAPA | Keck All-Sky Precision Adaptive Optics |
KBO | Kuiper Belt object |
KLIP | Karhunen-Loève image processing |
KPIC | Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer |
KPNO | Kitt Peak National Observatory |
LAT | Large Aperture Telescope |
LBA | Long Baseline Array |
LBT | Large Binocular Telescope |
LBTI | Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer |
LBTO | Large Binocular Telescope Observatory |
LCIT | Large Mission Concept Independent Assessment Team |
LCOGT | Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope |
LDB | long duration balloon |
LEAP | Large Area Burst Polarimeter |
LEDA | Large-Aperture Experiment to Detect the Dark Ages |
LEO | low Earth orbit |
LGBTQIA+ | lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, plus |
LHAASO | Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory |
LHC | Large Hadron Collider |
LIGO | Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory |
LISA | Laser Interferometer Space Antenna |
LMA | Lynx Mirror Assembly |
LMC | Large Magellanic Cloud |
LMT | Large Millimeter Telescope |
LSST | Legacy Survey of Space and Time |
LTAO | laser tomography adaptive optics |
LTK | local and traditional knowledge |
LUVOIR | Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor |
LXM | Lynx X-ray Microcalorimeter |
LyC | Lyman continuum |
MAGIC | Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov Telescope |
MaNGA | Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO |
MARC | Maximizing Access to Research Careers |
mas | milliarcseconds |
MCAO | multi-conjugate adaptive optics |
MEMS | micro-electro-mechanical-system |
MESA | Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics |
MEV | Maximum Expected Value |
MHD | magnetohydrodynamics |
MIDEX | Medium-Class Explorer |
MINERVA-Australis | Miniature Exoplanet Radial Velocity Array-Australis |
MIR | mid-infrared |
MIRC | Michigan Infrared Beam Combiner |
MISC-T | Mid-Infrared Spectrometer Camera Transit Spectrometer |
MKID | microwave kinetic induction detector |
MKO | Mauna Kea Observatory |
MKSR | Mauna Kea Science Reserve |
MLSO | Mauna Loa Solar Observatory |
MMA | multi-messenger astrophysics |
MMT | Multiple Mirror Telescope |
MO and MoO | mission of opportunity |
MOAO | multi-object adaptive optics |
MODHIS | Multi-Object Diffraction-Limited High-Resolution Infrared Spectrograph |
MP | Mentoring Plan |
MPE | Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics |
MPS | Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
MREFC | Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction |
MRI | Major Research Instrumentation |
MROI | Magdalena Ridge Optical Interferometer |
MRSEC | Materials Research Science and Engineering Center |
MSE | Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer |
MSFC | Marshall Space Flight Center |
MSI | Minority-Serving Institution |
MSIP | Mid-Scale Innovations Program |
MSO | Mid-Scale Opportunity |
MSRI | Mid-scale Research Infrastructure |
MUCERPI | Minority University and College Education and Research Partnership Initiative |
MWA | Murchison Widefield Array |
NANOGrav | North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves |
NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
NEID | NN-EXPLORE Exoplanet Investigations with Doppler Spectroscopy |
NEO | near-Earth object |
NEOWISE | Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer |
NFIRAOS | narrow field infrared adaptive optics system |
ngVLA | Next Generation Very Large Array |
NICER | Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer |
NIH | National Institutes of Health |
NIR | near-infrared |
NIST | National Institute of Standards and Technology |
NLSO | NASA LISA Studies Office |
NN-EXPLORE | NASA-NSF Exoplanet Observational Research Program |
NOAA | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
NOAO | National Optical Astronomy Observatory |
NOIRLab | National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory |
NPOI | Navy Precision Optical Interferometer |
NRAO | National Radio Astronomy Observatory |
NS | neutron star |
NS-EOS | neutron star equation of state |
NSB | National Science Board |
NSBP | National Society of Black Physicists |
NSF | National Science Foundation |
NSHP | National Society of Hispanic Physicists |
NSO | National Solar Observatory |
NSPIRES | NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System |
NTIA | National Telecommunications and Information Administration |
NuSTAR | Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array |
NVO | National Virtual Observatory |
NWNH | New Worlds, New Horizons report |
O&M | operations and maintenance |
OIR | optical and infrared |
OMB | Office of Management and Budget |
ORM | Roque de los Muchachos Observatory |
OSS | open source software |
OSS | Origins Survey Spectrometer |
P5 | Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel |
PAARE | Partnerships in Astronomy and Astrophysics Research |
PAG | Program Analysis Group |
PAH | polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon |
PAMS | Portfolio Analysis and Management System |
Pan-STARRS | Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System |
pc | parallax of one arcsecond (parsec) |
PDR | Preliminary Design Review |
PER | Physics Education Research |
PFS | Prime Focus Spectrograph |
PGRE | Physics Graduate Record Examination |
PHAT | Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury Project |
PI | principal investigator |
PIC | particle-in-cell |
PICASO | Planetary Intensity Code for Atmospheric Scattering |
PICTURE | Planetary Imaging Concept Testbed Using a Recoverable Experiment |
PISN | pair-instability supernovae |
PLATO | Planetary Transits and Oscillations of stars |
POEMMA | Probe of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics |
POLARBEAR | Polarization of Background Radiation |
PTA | pulsar timing array |
PTF | Palomar Transient Factory |
PUI | Primarily Undergraduate Institutions |
PUMA | Packed Ultra-Wideband Mapping Array |
QCD | quantum chromodynamics |
QIS | quantum information science |
QSO | quasi-stellar object |
R&D | research and development |
RBIS | research-based instructional strategies |
REU | Research Experiences for Undergraduates |
RFI | radio frequency interference |
RFI | request for information |
RICE | Radio Ice Cherenkov Experiment |
RMS | radio, millimeter, and submillimeter |
RMS | root mean square |
RNO-G | Radio Neutrino Observatory in Greenland |
Roman ST HLS | Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope High Latitude Survey |
ROSAT | Roentgen Satellite |
ROSES | Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences |
RV | radial velocity |
RXTE | Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer |
SACNAS | Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science |
SAFARI | Spica Far Infrared Instrument |
SALT | South African Large Telescope |
SAO | Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory |
SAT | Small Aperture Telescope |
SAT | Strategic Astrophysics Technology |
SATCON | Working Group on Satellite Constellations |
SCExAO | Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics |
SCT | Schwartzchild-Couder IACT Telescope |
SDO | Solar Dynamics Observatory |
SDSS | Sloan Digital Sky Survey |
SEA Change | STEMM Equity Achievement Change |
SED | spectral energy distribution |
SETI | Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence |
SFR | star formation rate |
SGMA | Committee for Sexual-Orientation and Gender Minorities in Astronomy |
SIM | Athena Science Instruments Module |
SIRTF | Space Infrared Telescope Facility |
SKA | Square Kilometre Array |
SLSNe | super-luminous supernovae |
SMA | Submillimeter Array |
SMARTS | Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System |
SMBH | supermassive black hole |
SMC | Small Magellanic Cloud |
SMD | Science Mission Directorate |
SMEX | Small Explorer |
SNe | supernovae |
SO | Simons Observatory |
SOAR | Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope |
SOFIA | Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy |
SOLIS | Synoptic Optical Long-Term Investigations of the Sun |
SOMER | SOFIA Operations and Maintenance Efficiency Review |
SPB | super pressure balloon |
SpecTel | Spectroscopic Survey Telescope |
SPHERE | Spectro-Polarimetric High-Contrast Exoplanet Research Instrument |
SPHEREx | Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer |
SPICA | Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics |
SPO | South Pole Observatory |
SPT | South Pole Telescope |
SQL | structured query language |
SQUID | superconducting quantum interference device |
SRON | Netherlands Institute for Space Research |
S-STEM | Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics |
STDT | science and technology definition team |
STEM | science, technology, engineering, and mathematics |
STEMM | science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine |
STIS | Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph |
STMD | Space Technology Mission Directorate |
STOP | Structural, Thermal, and Optical Performance |
STScI | Space Telescope Science Institute |
SVOM | Space Variable Objects Monitor |
SWGO | Southern Wide-Field Gamma-ray Observatory |
SZ | Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (effect) |
TAP | Transient Astrophysics Probe |
TCAN | Theoretical and Computational Astrophysics Networks |
TCU | Tribal College and University |
TDA | time-domain astronomy |
TDE | tidal disruption event |
TEAM-UP | National Task Force to Elevate African American Representation in Undergraduate Physics and Astronomy |
TES | transition edge sensor |
TESS | Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite |
TIO | Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory |
TK | Indigenous traditional knowledge |
TMT | Thirty Meter Telescope |
TOM | target and observation manager |
TRACE | Technical, Risk, and Cost Evaluation |
TRL | technology readiness level |
TSIP | Telescope System Instrumentation Program |
TTV | transit timing variation |
UHE | ultra-high energy |
UHECR | ultra-high-energy cosmic ray |
ULDB | ultra-long duration balloon |
ULTRA | Ultra-Stable Large Telescope Research and Analysis |
ULX | ultraluminous X-ray |
URO | University Radio Observatories |
USRA | Universities Space Research Association |
UV | ultraviolet |
UVOT | UV-optical telescope |
VERITAS | Very Energetic Imaging Telescope Array System |
VFP | Visiting Faculty Program |
VHE | very high energy |
VLA | Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array |
VLASS | Very Large Array Sky Survey |
VLBA | Very Long Baseline Array |
VLBI | very long baseline interferometry |
VLT | Very Large Telescope |
VLTI | Very Large Telescope Interferometer |
WC | Women’s College |
WD | white dwarf |
WEAVE | William Herschel Telescope (WHT) Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer |
WFE | wavefront error |
WFI | Wide Field Imager |
WFIRST | Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (renamed as the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescop) |
WFOS | Wide-Field Optical Spectrometer |
WFS | wavefront sensor |
WGAD | Working Group on Accessibility and Disability |
WIA | Women in Astronomy |
WIMP | weakly interacting massive particle |
WISE | Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer |
WIYN | Wisconsin-Indiana-Yale-NOAO Observatory |
WMAP | Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe |
WNM | warm neutral medium |
WRC | World Radiocommunication Conference |
XGS | Lynx X-ray Grating Spectrometer |
X-IFU | X-ray Integral Field Unit |
XMM-Newton | X-ray Multi Mirror Mission |
XRISM | X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission |
XRP | Exoplanet Research Program |
ZDI | Zeeman Doppler Imaging |
ZTF | Zwicky Transient Facility |