| Title: |
The Simons Observatory: science goals and forecasts for the enhanced Large Aperture Telescope |
| Authors: |
Collaboration, The Simons Observatory; Abitbol, M; Abril-Cabezas, I; Adachi, S; Ade, P; Adler, AE; Agrawal, P; Aguirre, J; Ahmed, Z; Aiola, S; Alford, T; Ali, A; Alonso, D; Alvarez, MA; An, R; Arnold, K; Ashton, P; Atkins, Z; Austermann, J; Azzoni, S; Baccigalupi, C; Lizancos, AB; Barron, D; Barry, P; Bartlett, J; Battaglia, N; Battye, R; Baxter, E; Bazarko, A; Beall, JA; Bean, R; Beck, D; Beckman, S; Begin, J; Beheshti, A; Beringue, B; Bhandarkar, T; Bhimani, S; Bianchini, F; Biermann, E; Biquard, S; Bixler, B; Boada, S; Boettger, D; Bolliet, B; Bond, JR; Borrill, J; Borrow, J; Braithwaite, C; Brien, TLR; Jones, M; La Posta, A; Leech, J; Taylor, AC |
| Publisher Information: |
arXiv |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Collection: |
Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) |
| Description: |
We describe updated scientific goals for the wide-field, millimeter-wave survey that will be produced by the Simons Observatory (SO). Significant upgrades to the 6-meter SO Large Aperture Telescope (LAT) are expected to be complete by 2028, and will include a doubled mapping speed with 30,000 new detectors and an automated data reduction pipeline. In addition, a new photovoltaic array will supply most of the observatory's power. The LAT survey will cover about 60% of the sky at a regular observing cadence, with five times the angular resolution and ten times the map depth of Planck. The science goals are to: (1) determine the physical conditions in the early universe and constrain the existence of new light particles; (2) measure the integrated distribution of mass, electron pressure, and electron momentum in the late-time universe, and, in combination with optical surveys, determine the neutrino mass and the effects of dark energy via tomographic measurements of the growth of structure at z < 3; (3) measure the distribution of electron density and pressure around galaxy groups and clusters, and calibrate the effects of energy input from galaxy formation on the surrounding environment; (4) produce a sample of more than 30,000 galaxy clusters, and more than 100,000 extragalactic millimeter sources, including regularly sampled AGN light-curves, to study these sources and their emission physics; (5) measure the polarized emission from magnetically aligned dust grains in our Galaxy, to study the properties of dust and the role of magnetic fields in star formation; (6) constrain asteroid regoliths, search for Trans-Neptunian Objects, and either detect or eliminate large portions of the phase space in the search for Planet 9; and (7) provide a powerful new window into the transient universe on time scales of minutes to years, concurrent with observations from Rubin of overlapping sky. |
| Document Type: |
report |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2503.00636 |
| DOI: |
10.48550/arXiv.2503.00636 |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2503.00636; https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:b3c529ca-1cec-40f8-9562-b48592543fd0 |
| Rights: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.4755C2D4 |
| Database: |
BASE |