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of the research at the frontier of astrophysics. The bulk of the program consists of the construction and
operation of high-energy particle accelerators and the support of the scientists who use them. OHEP’s
interest in particle astrophysics has been spurred by the recognition that dark matter is likely to be a new
form of matter, that dark energy may be a new fundamental field, and that the universe may well be the
best laboratory for making progress in testing ideas about the unification of the forces and particles of
nature. The recent report of the Particle Astrophysics Scientific Assessment Group (PASAG) to the High
Energy Physics Advisory Panel (HEPAP), which advises DOE and NSF, defined priorities for HEP
funding of astrophysics projects. Three broad criteria were laid out: 1. Importance of the science and
discovery potential consistent with the fundamental physics mission of HEP; 2. Necessity of HEP
expertise and/or technology to enable important projects and to make unique, high-impact contributions
(e.g., silicon detectors and electronics on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, or data acquisition and
processing on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, or CMB research); and 3. Programmatic issues of balance
and the international context. PASAG recommended that these criteria be used, in descending order of
importance, to prioritize the large number of opportunities in astrophysical research to be funded.
• NSF Physics Division and Office of Polar Programs. NSF Physics Division (PHY) funds
investigator-driven research across all areas of physics, including nuclear, particle, atomic, biological,
gravitational, plasma, and theoretical physics. Nuclear and particle astrophysics science falls within the
PHY portfolio and there is a specific program for it. NSF Office of Polar Programs (OPP) is the steward
for U.S. science in Antarctica, and it funds (or co-funds) a variety of astrophysics projects at the South
Pole (e.g., CMB experiments, the IceCube neutrino detector, and the ten-meter South Pole Telescope).
Through the MREFC process, NSF Physics has made a large investment in the construction and operation
of the LIGO facility, and, in this decade the Advanced LIGO detectors.
• NSF Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Division (AGS, formerly ATM). This NSF
Division is part of the Geosciences (GEO) Directorate and provides the bulk of the grant funding for solar
scientists. Additionally, for solar astronomy AGS supports the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) of
NCAR. AGS is mostly concerned with the effects of the Sun upon our terrestrial environment, whereas
AST, which supports solar astronomy through operation of NSO, views the Sun as a star that can be
studied in great detail due to its unusual proximity.
Currently there are a number of areas of astrophysical research where the interests of more than
one of these agencies converge. The synergies and complementarity between the agency capabilities are
important. As examples, instruments developed on NSF-funded ground and balloon-based instruments
have been flown by NASA in space (on WMAP and now on Planck). NASA’s long duration balloon
program depends on the support of NSF’s McMurdo station in Antarctica and NASA satellites and
downlink stations are critical for communication and transfer of astronomical data from NSF’s South Pole
research station. NSF radio observatories are used for the telemetry of spacecraft data. DOE physicists
were essential for the successful design, construction and operation of the Large Area Telescope on FGST
and the Dark Energy Camera is receiving both DOE and NSF funding and will be a facility instrument on
an NSF-supported telescope. Scientists from all three agencies contribute special expertise in detector
fabrication and data acquisition to many successful partnerships. While funding by multiple agencies adds
complexity, it also adds significant value. Each of the agencies brings special technical strengths and
experts as well as unique research communities. Provided that the efforts of the different agencies are
effectively coordinated, there are significant benefits to science and to the nation in collaboration as has
been demonstrated in many successful joint ventures.
Coordination between the agencies is facilitated by a variety of mechanisms and currently takes
place at several levels. The agencies have program managers who meet on both a formal and informal
basis to coordinate at the agency level, sometimes facilitated by OSTP. In addition, there are a number of
standing FACA Advisory Committees which provide expert community advice. These include the Highenergy
Physics Advisory Panel (HEPAP) for DOE Office of High-energy Physics (OHEP) and the NSF
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