BCCP


EdiRe gion8	Research Overview BCCP will focus on understanding the origin and evolution of the universe through a series of programs to define the observations, experiments, concepts, and simulations needed to answer the key fundamental questions in cosmology. Bringing together experimentation, computation, and theory, BCCP will create the foundation of an accurate, reliable model of the cosmos, and then compare the implications of the model against observations — thus opening new horizons and expanding our knowledge of the universe. These programs address major questions, including: What is dark energy and how is it causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate? How did space-time come to being early in the universe? What is dark matter? Why is there an excess of matter over antimatter in the current universe when they were in equal abundance at very early times? Research Programs After developing the framework of necessary cosmology and optimum observational and experimental programs, we have begun to seed and incubate these next generation programs. The first of these include: 1) BOSS (Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey) BCCP recently hired cosmologists that are world leaders in the newest approach to dark energy measurements - Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO). By studying the clustering of nearby galaxies, we can detect the imprint of the sound waves that were “frozen in” as the cosmic plasma of the early universe cooled — the same acoustic phenomena that produced the anisotropies we see in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Moreover, by comparing the structure in the CMB with that seen in the distribution of galaxies in the nearer universe, we obtain a measurement of the properties of dark energy that is independent of the one made using supernovae, providing an independent way of understanding the history of the universe and what drives it. Our Center’s scientists are developing a new project that can make a dramatic step forward in BAO dark energy measurements (called “Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey,” or BOSS). The survey is designed to obtain spectra of 1.5 million galaxies at z<0.7 and 160,000 quasars for the BAO signal at much higher redshifts. This is a prime example of work that BCCP is incubating to confront the hurdles and demonstrations necessary to establish the project for full funding. 2) PolarBeaR (Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization) BCCP scientists are at the forefront of CMB instrumentation developments. We have instrumentation running on several cutting-edge experiments including the Planck satellite launched in May, 2009, and the South Pole Telescope that is arguably taking the best current data of small angular scale anisotropies. The ambitious goal of this work is to search for the signature of gravity waves from inflationary era of the universe 10^-35 seconds after the Big Bang at energies of 10¹⁶ GeV. This is the epoch when our actual space and time become large and significant. A discovery would teach us about the universe at the very beginning of time at energy scales that probe fundamental physics beyond the reach of particle accelerators. This is a critical piece in efforts to map the history of the universe because we lack significant research about the “dark ages” - the epoch before stars. PolarBeaR is another clear example of a novel project that — with the help of strategic seed funding — would allow a new field to develop. This project illustrates the diverse capabilities of BCCP, including: CMB experience in the Department of Physics Experience with large detector systems at LBNL Parallel supercomputing expertise at NERSC Electromagnetic design expertise at RAL The micro fabrication facilities in Berkeley’s electrical engineering program 3) JDEM (Joint Dark Energy Mission) Satellite This is nominally a joint mission between the Department of Energy, the European Space Agency (that joined in February, 2009) and NASA. The collaboration of three agencies will ultimately lead to sufficient resources to have three strong probes of the dark energy (accelerating universe): gravitational lensing, supernovae, and baryon acoustic oscillations. Together they allow us to test the validity of Einstein's General Relativity on cosmic scales while also independently observing dark energy. However, with three agencies involved, timing and coordination can be difficult and the path to a satellite mission as mapped out does not allow for studies outside the nominal critical path. This single-minded approach means that some key science topics cannot be included unless there is room to explore them in some other manner. Several key sub-projects of the JDEM satellite are now unfunded and strategic seed funding could allow BCCP to accomplish science that might not otherwise be included in the mission design. As we did with the landmark Center for Particle Astrophysics (which then led to some of the most important cosmology work of the following years), Berkeley can play a critical role. BCCP is a more nimble body that can ensure JDEM works well for all three organizations, conducting studies and tradeoffs that fall in between agencies or picking up research that the other agencies can’t handle. 4) The Legacy Supernova Calibration Program: All of the major programs proposed for the next decade that use supernovae to study dark energy will require a novel supernova calibration program. These include the dramatic example of the JDEM satellite project supernova probe and a key element of that project that demonstrated the basic steps required (the Nearby Supernova Factory). Our next task will be to design and develop a project that will scale up this work to reach the numbers and precision needed. The Center’s scientists in this field (the leaders of the Supernova Cosmology Project, JDEM, and the Nearby Supernova Factory) are now beginning work on this next step. Like mapping the trajectory of a ball (that forms a parabola when gravity is uniform and an ellipse when it is not) documenting the brightness of supernova in the universe will inform our understanding of time, space, and behavior of gravity. 5) Center for Cosmology Computing Initiative: Although cosmology has now matured to the point that we can make significant progress in understanding key physics questions by constructing high-precision experiments, designing and executing such experiments requires a new level of theoretical, analytic, and computational sophistication that is almost unprecedented in astrophysical measurements. The exciting projects thus appear to have a slightly different characteristic than previous astronomy projects: the data are complex enough that those theorists who understand the details of the data are often needed to participate in the analysis. Moreover, sophisticated computing capabilities are needed by both the experimentalists and the theorists. Typically, the analysis of these observational data now takes longer than the experiment itself! The experimental and the theoretical — the data analysis and the simulations — are in fact tightly interwoven in today’s cosmology. Many of the key questions in cosmology rely on subtle signals in the data and require theoretically sophisticated approaches to data analysis and interpretation. Simulations are required both as event generators for modeling the analysis pipelines and as the theoretical predictions themselves. Numerical simulations are indispensable in investigating how the universe evolved from the minute primordial fluctuations into the highly nonlinear web of galaxies and clusters observed today. Fellowships for post doctoral experts and a large multi-processor cluster are essential for bridging the current gap between national centers and small desktop clusters. Computational problems on these intermediate scales are often the center of innovative research, whose development would be inefficient and laborious at the national computing centers. 6) EoR (Epoch of Reionization): The goal of the EoR experiment is to directly detect emission from hydrogen during the epoch of reionization — the period just after the “dark ages” (when everything is de-ionized) when stars are beginning to form and the modern universe is just beginning. There may be more than one epoch of reionization as recent WMAP and high redshift quasars are beginning to inform us. Our next steps are to develop a prototype two-element radio interferometer and testing to see what level of backgrounds and instrumental issues need to be overcome. Model and Goals BCCP’s strategic model seeks to strengthen both research and education by forging new cosmological discoveries while creating a pipeline for future scientists. A core group of extraordinary post-doctoral fellows is interacting with outstanding senior researchers as well as with select graduate and undergraduates at UC Berkeley through BCCP. These teams are developing a framework to move from our now strong overview of cosmology into critical sets of observations and simulations to evaluate the veracity of the cosmological model that we now use. In addition to research, BCCP will create a Teacher’s Academy to invigorate science education at the middle school and secondary level. The Center will also strengthen global partnerships to advance the field of cosmology on an international scale. BCCP's principal goals include: Creating a framework of cosmology that defines the most critical experiments and observations necessary to distinguishing and narrowing the possible descriptions of the universe Developing highly trained scientists in a cutting-edge field that encompasses the use of mathematics, physics, technology, chemistry, geology and other cross-disciplinary fields Stimulating landmark research in the field of cosmology Establishing global partnerships across the world that will contribute and share innovative resources and scientific information with BCCP Implementing educational outreach projects across the United States and the world that enhance public awareness, literacy and interest in fields of science, technology, engineering and math Fostering an outstanding leadership among young, highly-talented students working together for breakthroughs and progress.
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EdiRe

gion8

Research Overview

BCCP will focus on understanding the origin and evolution of the universe through a series of programs to define the observations, experiments, concepts, and simulations needed to answer the key fundamental questions in cosmology. Bringing together experimentation, computation, and theory, BCCP will create the foundation of an accurate, reliable model of the cosmos, and then compare the implications of the model against observations — thus opening new horizons and expanding our knowledge of the universe.

These programs address major questions, including:

What is dark energy and how is it causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate?

How did space-time come to being early in the universe?

What is dark matter?

Why is there an excess of matter over antimatter in the current universe when they were in equal abundance at very early times?

Research Programs

After developing the framework of necessary cosmology and optimum observational and experimental programs, we have begun to seed and incubate these next generation programs. The first of these include:

1) BOSS (Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey)

BCCP recently hired cosmologists that are world leaders in the newest approach to dark energy measurements - Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO). By studying the clustering of nearby galaxies, we can detect the imprint of the sound waves that were “frozen in” as the cosmic plasma of the early universe cooled — the same acoustic phenomena that produced the anisotropies we see in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Moreover, by comparing the structure in the CMB with that seen in the distribution of galaxies in the nearer universe, we obtain a measurement of the properties of dark energy that is independent of the one made using supernovae, providing an independent way of understanding the history of the universe and what drives it.

Our Center’s scientists are developing a new project that can make a dramatic step forward in BAO dark energy measurements (called “Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey,” or BOSS). The survey is designed to obtain spectra of 1.5 million galaxies at z<0.7 and 160,000 quasars for the BAO signal at much higher redshifts. This is a prime example of work that BCCP is incubating to confront the hurdles and demonstrations necessary to establish the project for full funding.

2) PolarBeaR (Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization)

BCCP scientists are at the forefront of CMB instrumentation developments. We have instrumentation running on several cutting-edge experiments including the Planck satellite launched in May, 2009, and the South Pole Telescope that is arguably taking the best current data of small angular scale anisotropies. The ambitious goal of this work is to search for the signature of gravity waves from inflationary era of the universe 10^-35 seconds after the Big Bang at energies of 10¹⁶ GeV. This is the epoch when our actual space and time become large and significant. A discovery would teach us about the universe at the very beginning of time at energy scales that probe fundamental physics beyond the reach of particle accelerators. This is a critical piece in efforts to map the history of the universe because we lack significant research about the “dark ages” - the epoch before stars. PolarBeaR is another clear example of a novel project that — with the help of strategic seed funding — would allow a new field to develop.

This project illustrates the diverse capabilities of BCCP, including:

CMB experience in the Department of Physics

Experience with large detector systems at LBNL

Parallel supercomputing expertise at NERSC

Electromagnetic design expertise at RAL

The micro fabrication facilities in Berkeley’s electrical engineering program

3) JDEM (Joint Dark Energy Mission) Satellite

This is nominally a joint mission between the Department of Energy, the European Space Agency (that joined in February, 2009) and NASA. The collaboration of three agencies will ultimately lead to sufficient resources to have three strong probes of the dark energy (accelerating universe): gravitational lensing, supernovae, and baryon acoustic oscillations. Together they allow us to test the validity of Einstein's General Relativity on cosmic scales while also independently observing dark energy.

However, with three agencies involved, timing and coordination can be difficult and the path to a satellite mission as mapped out does not allow for studies outside the nominal critical path. This single-minded approach means that some key science topics cannot be included unless there is room to explore them in some other manner. Several key sub-projects of the JDEM satellite are now unfunded and strategic seed funding could allow BCCP to accomplish science that might not otherwise be included in the mission design. As we did with the landmark Center for Particle Astrophysics (which then led to some of the most important cosmology work of the following years), Berkeley can play a critical role. BCCP is a more nimble body that can ensure JDEM works well for all three organizations, conducting studies and tradeoffs that fall in between agencies or picking up research that the other agencies can’t handle.

4) The Legacy Supernova Calibration Program: All of the major programs proposed for the next decade that use supernovae to study dark energy will require a novel supernova calibration program. These include the dramatic example of the JDEM satellite project supernova probe and a key element of that project that demonstrated the basic steps required (the Nearby Supernova Factory). Our next task will be to design and develop a project that will scale up this work to reach the numbers and precision needed. The Center’s scientists in this field (the leaders of the Supernova Cosmology Project, JDEM, and the Nearby Supernova Factory) are now beginning work on this next step. Like mapping the trajectory of a ball (that forms a parabola when gravity is uniform and an ellipse when it is not) documenting the brightness of supernova in the universe will inform our understanding of time, space, and behavior of gravity.

5) Center for Cosmology Computing Initiative: Although cosmology has now matured to the point that we can make significant progress in understanding key physics questions by constructing high-precision experiments, designing and executing such experiments requires a new level of theoretical, analytic, and computational sophistication that is almost unprecedented in astrophysical measurements. The exciting projects thus appear to have a slightly different characteristic than previous astronomy projects: the data are complex enough that those theorists who understand the details of the data are often needed to participate in the analysis. Moreover, sophisticated computing capabilities are needed by both the experimentalists and the theorists. Typically, the analysis of these observational data now takes longer than the experiment itself!

The experimental and the theoretical — the data analysis and the simulations — are in fact tightly interwoven in today’s cosmology. Many of the key questions in cosmology rely on subtle signals in the data and require theoretically sophisticated approaches to data analysis and interpretation. Simulations are required both as event generators for modeling the analysis pipelines and as the theoretical predictions themselves. Numerical simulations are indispensable in investigating how the universe evolved from the minute primordial fluctuations into the highly nonlinear web of galaxies and clusters observed today. Fellowships for post doctoral experts and a large multi-processor cluster are essential for bridging the current gap between national centers and small desktop clusters. Computational problems on these intermediate scales are often the center of innovative research, whose development would be inefficient and laborious at the national computing centers.

6) EoR (Epoch of Reionization): The goal of the EoR experiment is to directly detect emission from hydrogen during the epoch of reionization — the period just after the “dark ages” (when everything is de-ionized) when stars are beginning to form and the modern universe is just beginning. There may be more than one epoch of reionization as recent WMAP and high redshift quasars are beginning to inform us. Our next steps are to develop a prototype two-element radio interferometer and testing to see what level of backgrounds and instrumental issues need to be overcome.

Model and Goals

BCCP’s strategic model seeks to strengthen both research and education by forging new cosmological discoveries while creating a pipeline for future scientists. A core group of extraordinary post-doctoral fellows is interacting with outstanding senior researchers as well as with select graduate and undergraduates at UC Berkeley through BCCP. These teams are developing a framework to move from our now strong overview of cosmology into critical sets of observations and simulations to evaluate the veracity of the cosmological model that we now use. In addition to research, BCCP will create a Teacher’s Academy to invigorate science education at the middle school and secondary level. The Center will also strengthen global partnerships to advance the field of cosmology on an international scale.

BCCP's principal goals include:

Creating a framework of cosmology that defines the most critical experiments and observations necessary to distinguishing and narrowing the possible descriptions of the universe

Developing highly trained scientists in a cutting-edge field that encompasses the use of mathematics, physics, technology, chemistry, geology and other cross-disciplinary fields

Stimulating landmark research in the field of cosmology

Establishing global partnerships across the world that will contribute and share innovative resources and scientific information with BCCP

Implementing educational outreach projects across the United States and the world that enhance public awareness, literacy and interest in fields of science, technology, engineering and math

Fostering an outstanding leadership among young, highly-talented students working together for breakthroughs and progress.