prepublication copy - The Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

departments and the community as a whole need to continue work to promote gender equity at all levels. Sustaining Core Capabilities Theory The role of theorists has changed greatly in recent times, and they have become more engaged in the interpretation of current data as well as the planning of future facilities and missions. In addition, computational approaches have expanded greatly the range of problems that can be solved with confidence. The committee concluded that a new approach to supporting theory is needed, a conclusion that is reflected in its proposed program. RECOMMENDATION: A new program of Research Networks in Theoretical and Computational Astrophysics should be funded by DOE, NASA, and NSF. The program would support research in six to eight focus areas that cover major theoretical questions raised by the survey Science Frontier Panels. Data Handling A related issue is the increasing importance of data handling in astronomical projects and the need to see data analysis as an integral part of any new project. In the committee’s view the best proposals for new major ground-based facilities and instruments include such planning. RECOMMENDATION: Proposals for new major ground-based facilities and instruments with significant federal funding should be required as a matter of agency policy to include a plan and if necessary a budget for ensuring appropriate data acquisition, processing, archiving, and public access after a suitable proprietary period. Data Curation Many astronomical data sets have long-term value and benefits. The committee concluded that there is a need for attention to data curation. RECOMMENDATION: NSF, NASA, and DOE should plan for effective long-term curation of, and access to, large astronomical data sets after completion of the missions or projects that produced these data, given the likely future scientific benefit of the data. NASA currently supports widely used curated data archives, and similar data curation models could be adopted by NSF and DOE. Laboratory Astrophysics Another important component of the astrophysical infrastructure is the ability to carry out crucial measurements in the laboratory that are relevant to interpreting observations from astronomical environments. The suite of recently launched and proposed facilities will make the acquisition of laboratory data even more crucial than it has been in the past. PREPUBLICATION COPY—SUBJECT TO FURTHER EDITORIAL CORRECTION 1-16
CONCLUSION: DOE national laboratories, including those funded by the Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration, have many unique facilities that can provide basic astrophysical data. The committee believes that NASA, NSF, and DOE will need to include funding for laboratory astrophysics in support of new missions and facilities and supports this conclusion in its proposed program. Other funding models should be considered if it is deemed necessary and cost-effective. RECOMMENDATION: NASA and NSF support for laboratory astrophysics under the Astronomy and Physics Research and Analysis and the Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants programs, respectively, should continue at current or higher levels over the coming decade because these programs are vital for optimizing the scientific return from current and planned facilities. Missions and facilities, including DOE projects, that will require significant amounts of new laboratory data to reach their science goals should include within their program budgets adequate funding for the necessary experimental and theoretical investigations. Senior Reviews Preparing for Tomorrow Ground-based astronomical observatories are often long-lived, and their integrated operating costs frequently exceed their construction cost by a large factor. It is therefore good stewardship to manage the NSF portfolio wisely and to balance continued support of older facilities with the development and operation of newer ones. To address this challenge, NSF Astronomy completed its first senior review exercise in 2006. The need for these reviews is ongoing. CONCLUSION: Maintaining an appropriate balance in NSF’s astronomy and astrophysics research portfolio and, by extension, balance in the health and scientific effectiveness of the NSF facilities requires a vigorous periodic senior review. RECOMMENDATION: NSF-Astronomy should complete its next senior review before the mid-decade independent review that is recommended elsewhere in this report, so as to determine which, if any, facilities NSF-AST should cease to support in order to release funds for (1) the construction and ongoing operation of new telescopes and instruments, and (2) the science analysis needed to capitalize on the results from existing and future facilities. Ground-Based Optical Astronomy OIR astronomy in the United States historically has benefited from significant private investment, with considerable progress made over the past decade in public-private collaboration and partnerships. The OIR future is certain to include ever more complex facilities. CONCLUSION: Optimizing the long-term scientific return from the whole of the U.S. optical and infrared system requires a readjusting of the balance of the NSF-Astronomy program of support in three areas: (1) publicly operated national observatories—the combined National Optical Astronomy Observatories and Gemini facilities that currently PREPUBLICATION COPY—SUBJECT TO FURTHER EDITORIAL CORRECTION 1-17
Page 1: PREPUBLICATION COPY
Page 4 and 5: THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fi
Page 7 and 8: COMMITTEE FOR A DECADAL SURVEY OF A
Page 9 and 10: Panel on Stars and Stellar Evolutio
Page 11 and 12: DOUGLAS FINKBEINER, Harvard Univers
Page 13: SPACE STUDIES BOARD CHARLES F. KENN
Page 16 and 17: activities 2 that have emerged from
Page 18 and 19: In addition to the 27 panel meeting
Page 20 and 21: Acknowledgment of Reviewers This re
Page 22 and 23: The Accelerating Universe 2-26 The
Page 24 and 25: APPENDIXES A Summary of Science Fro
Page 26 and 27: light up the universe, marking the
Page 28 and 29: RECOMMENDED PROGRAM Maintaining a b
Page 30 and 31: TABLE ES.4 Space: Recommended Activ
Page 32 and 33: Cosmic Dawn: Searching for the Firs
Page 34 and 35: this imprint would both probe funda
Page 36 and 37: important outcome will be to open u
Page 38 and 39: estimated to be on the order of $20
Page 40 and 41: observatories. For NASA an annual b
Page 42 and 43: surveys of large fields, enabling s
Page 44 and 45: RECOMMENDATION: U.S. investors in a
Page 48 and 49: dominate spending; (2) private-publ
Page 50 and 51: us was certainly evident during the
Page 52 and 53: BOX 2-1 Other Worlds Around Other S
Page 54 and 55: FIGURE 2‐2 The source 3C 75, show
Page 56 and 57: FIGURE 2‐3 Numerical simulation o
Page 58 and 59: FIGURE 2‐4 Left panel: Image of t
Page 60 and 61: FIGURE 2‐6 Top: Schematic of the
Page 62 and 63: Most stars with masses smaller than
Page 64 and 65: BOX 2-2 The Origin of Planets After
Page 66 and 67: send material raining into the cent
Page 68 and 69: BOX 2-4 Lifecycles in Galaxies One
Page 70 and 71: Stars Stars are the most observable
Page 72 and 73: ubiquitous high-energy charged-part
Page 74 and 75: The Nature of Inflation As describe
Page 76 and 77: FIGURE 2‐11 Pie chart showing the
Page 78 and 79: An important clue to the nature of
Page 80 and 81: Studying the properties of neutron
Page 82 and 83: FIGURE 2‐14 A possible pathway is
Page 84 and 85: partners and makes recommendations
Page 86 and 87: As astronomy research has blossomed
Page 88 and 89: are increasingly relevant. The Euro
Page 90 and 91: TABLE 3-1 Currently Operating OIR F
Page 92 and 93: 29% 1990 44% US Priv US Fed Other E
Page 94 and 95: CONCLUSION: Complex and high-cost f
Page 96 and 97:
Space Observatories The Laser Inter
Page 98 and 99:
Physics Division (PHY); the Mathema
Page 101 and 102:
4 Astronomy in Society Astronomy of
Page 103 and 104:
FIGURE 4‐2 The dust sculptures of
Page 105 and 106:
FIGURE 4‐5 President Obama takes
Page 107 and 108:
Astronomy Inspires in the Classroom
Page 109 and 110:
teaching the scientific method. The
Page 111 and 112:
where the fraction of astronomers h
Page 113 and 114:
Percentage of AAS Membership by Fie
Page 115 and 116:
0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 PL SO IM AG SF IN S
Page 117 and 118:
FIGURE 4‐12 Number (top panel) an
Page 119 and 120:
Professional training needs to acco
Page 121:
assistant and associate professor p
Page 124 and 125:
fluctuating level of funding for as
Page 126 and 127:
THEORY Emerging Trends in Theoretic
Page 128 and 129:
Central to the Galaxies across Cosm
Page 130 and 131:
TABLE 5‐2 Support for astrophysic
Page 132 and 133:
would normally be for a five-year p
Page 134 and 135:
FIGURE 5‐7 Highly cited HST publi
Page 136 and 137:
y optical and radio astronomers are
Page 138 and 139:
FIGURE 5‐8 Number of PhDs per yea
Page 140 and 141:
ated by the Program Prioritization
Page 142 and 143:
nulling interferometry. The appropr
Page 144 and 145:
FIGURE 5‐9 The richness of the su
Page 146 and 147:
RECOMMENDATION: NASA and NSF suppor
Page 148 and 149:
FIGURE 6‐1. All sky map as observ
Page 150 and 151:
FIGURE 6‐3 NASA mission cost over
Page 152 and 153:
FIGURE 6‐5 Gemini North with Sout
Page 154 and 155:
TOWARD FUTURE PROJECTS, MISSIONS, A
Page 156 and 157:
3. Investment in new and upgraded i
Page 158 and 159:
etween several competing elements i
Page 161 and 162:
7 Realizing the Opportunities The p
Page 163 and 164:
FIGURE 7.1 Survey time line showing
Page 165 and 166:
SCIENCE OBJECTIVES FOR THE DECADE T
Page 167 and 168:
Box 7.1 Implementing a Cosmic Dawn
Page 169 and 170:
JWST, with its superb mid-infrared
Page 171 and 172:
optical imaging of brighter galaxie
Page 173 and 174:
Box 7.3 Implementing the Physics of
Page 175 and 176:
FIGURE 7.2 Multiwavelength images o
Page 177 and 178:
Recommendations for New Space Activ
Page 179 and 180:
FIGURE 7.4 Science accomplishments
Page 181 and 182:
significance of mergers in the buil
Page 183 and 184:
independent advice committee review
Page 185 and 186:
committee review. It could range be
Page 187 and 188:
Laboratory Astrophysics As describe
Page 189 and 190:
Recommendations for New Ground-Base
Page 191 and 192:
Program for instrumentation and fac
Page 193 and 194:
excel at high spectral and spatial
Page 195 and 196:
The committee reviewed a technical
Page 197 and 198:
FIGURE 7.10 ACTA would be, like the
Page 199 and 200:
Advanced Technologies and Instrumen
Page 201 and 202:
LISA as soon as possible subject to
Page 203:
FIGURE 7.14 DOE recommended program
Page 207 and 208:
A Summary of Science Frontiers Pane
Page 209 and 210:
PLANETARY SYSTEMS AND STAR FORMATIO
Page 211 and 212:
A preliminary recommended program w
Page 213 and 214:
certified as independent work perfo
Page 215 and 216:
penalty based on an assessment of s
Page 217 and 218:
The results show excellent correlat
Page 219 and 220:
$12 MILLION TO $40 MILLION RANGE CM
Page 221 and 222:
decadal research strategy with reco
Page 223 and 224:
CFP CHIPSat CIP CGRO CMB CMU CoBRA
Page 225 and 226:
NRC NSB NSF NSF-AGS NSF-ARC NSF-AST
show all

prepublication copy - The Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?