Optimizing the U.S. Ground-Based Optical and Infrared Astronomy System (2015) / Chapter Skim
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4 Pursuing the Science in the LSST and GSMT Era
4 Pursuing the Science in the LSST and GSMT Era
Pages 50-65
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provide extensive discussions of critical high-priority questions and the instrumentation needed to answer them. This section summarizes some of the key capabilities that will be needed in the coming years to address different areas of research as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)
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These measurements will be crucial cosmological probes that provide insight into dark energy and the distribution of dark matter as well as study galaxy evolution and primordial star formation. These spectrographs are also critical for surveying large samples of Milky Way stars to understand the chemical evolution of the galaxy as well as nearby galaxies by providing precise elemental abundances.
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On galaxy scales, basic questions center on feedback mechanisms that affect star formation, energy transport in the interstellar medium, and metal enrichment, as well as the relationship between star formation history, supermassive black hole growth, and dark matter halos. These interrelations will help in understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies.
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, proto stellar disks, cosmic ray propagation, energy transport in star-forming regions, and large-scale polarized dust emission that affects cosmic microwave background radiation.10 In addition, development of OIR interferometry techniques would advance the understanding of exozodiacal and protoplanetary disks and the effect of magnetic fields on stars.11 Extreme precision Doppler spectroscopy for radial velocity measurements by special-purpose instruments will be critical to exoplanet studies; see Section 4.2 for further discussion and a recommendation in this regard. OIR astronomy will also remain critically important in the quest to determine cosmological initial conditions over the widest possible dynamic range, through observations of large-scale structure (using galaxies, intergalactic gas, and gravitational lensing)
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These include a wide-field highly multiplexed moderate-resolution optical/near-IR spectrograph, a high-throughput, moderate-resolution spectrograph, a high-resolution IFU optical or infrared spectrograph, optical and near-IR imaging with adaptive optics, and extreme precision Doppler spectroscopy and AO coronagraphy. In addition to large and extremely large telescopes, small (≤ 3-meter)
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Multi-conjugate AO on 6- to 30-meter telescopes Circumstellar disks and protoplanetary, supernova progenitors, galaxy assembly, cosmic structures, black holes, first stars, planetary systems Integral field unit optical, near-IR spectroscopy Protoplanetary disks, stars, high-redshift galaxies with adaptive optics (AO) High-resolution optical, near-IR imaging with AO Solar system objects, planetary atmospheres, protoplanetary disks, stars, high-redshift galaxies AO coronagraphy Exoplanets, protoplanetary disks Extreme precision radial velocity (Doppler)
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Kulesa, and E Bendek, 2010, A ground-layer adaptive optics system with multiple laser guide stars, Nature 466(7307)
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Going forward, many aspects of NWNH and VVPS science need robust AO capabilities across wavelengths, spectral resolution, and cadence.21 The growing science impact of AO today is the result of previous investments, which peaked in the mid-2000s under the Adaptive Optics Development Program (AODP) at just short of $20 million per year but have now fallen to less than one-fifth of that.22 Optimized usage of current and next-generation large apertures relies on continuing investment channels for this high-payoff (albeit expensive)
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partnership to support precision radial velocities,25 the National Sci ence Foundation (NSF) will provide facility support on the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope and NASA will provide funding to build an Extreme Precision Doppler Spectrometer (EPDS)
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should continue to invest in the development of critical instrument technologies, including detectors, adaptive/active optics, and precision radial velocity measurements. NSF should also use existing instrument and research pro grams to support small-scale exploratory programs that have the potential to evelop transformative technologies.
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, will revolutionize OIR astronomy by achieving angular resolution and depth far beyond current telescopes. The GSMTs will contribute critically to addressng the majority of the next decade's principal science questions31 and are i required for five key science programs in NWNH, including the direct detection of giant exoplanets and the precise characterization of the Milky Way's central black hole, environments and progenitors of supernovae and gamma ray bursts (GRBs)
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SOURCE: (Top) Courtesy of TMT International Observatory; (bottom)
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astronomical community who are not associated with partner institutions. The Giant Magellan Telescope Organization Board34 and the GMT Science Advisory Committee35 are open to a variety of mechanisms for commu nity participation in return for federal support, including open peer-reviewed access, open community participation in Key Projects, and partnering with NSF and non-member institutions to develop second-generation instrumentation and AO technology.36 NWNH recommended that "due to severe budget limitations, a federal part nership in a GSMT will be limited to a minority role in one project"37 and recom mended a 25 percent share in a GSMT as a goal, either through Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC)
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Conclusion: The GSMTs will be crucial for detailed follow-up investiga tions of many discoveries from existing and planned facilities, including ALMA, Gaia, LSST, JWST, Euclid, and WFIRST, and will make major con tributions to many of the next decade's key science questions, including the nature of debris disks, the physics of planet formation, the growth of black holes, and the advent of the first galaxies. Recommendation: The National Science Foundation should plan for an investment in one or both Giant Segmented Mirror Telescopes in order to capitalize on these observatories' exceptional scientific capabilities for the broader astronomical community in the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope era -- for example, through shared operations costs, instrument develop ment, or limited partnerships in telescope or data access or science projects.
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SOURCE: Courtesy of Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Corp. and international support.39 It has entered the NSF MREFC funding line for con struction, the M1M3 mirror is nearing completion, and the camera team has just 39 Institutional members are Adler Planetarium, Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven N ational Laboratory (BNL)
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The fact that the LSST Science Book40 is more than 500 pages long, detailing science programs from the solar system to stellar populations, the Milky Way, nearby galaxies, transients, distant galaxies, AGNs, supernovae, lensing, dark matter, and large scale structure, underscores the critical role of LSST in enabling the astronomical community to tackle a wide variety of astronomical questions when it comes online. Its massive public archive will stimulate worldwide investigations.
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