2020DecadalSurveyPerspectives

Dr.TerriJ.BrandtChiefScientist,Acting

NASA’sPhysicsoftheCosmosProgram

RA202020Aug2018

LosAlamosNationalLab

Process➢  NationalAcademyofSciences(NAS):“The2020-2030AstronomyandAstrophysics

DecadalSurvey(Astro2020)isapartnershipbetweentheNationalAcademiesandtheastronomicalcommunitytosurveythefieldofastronomyandastrophysicsandprovideprioritiesforthemostimportantscientificandtechnicalactivitiesofthedecade2020-2030.Itservesasaguideforscientists,policymakers,andagenciesalikeinvestedintheastronomicalsciences.Thesurveyisdrivenbyinputfromthescientificcommunityandledbyasurveycommittee.”

➢  “TheastronomyandastrophysicsdecadalsurveyisalargeandinfluentialstudyrunjointlybetweentheBoardofPhysicsandAstronomyandtheSpaceStudiesBoardoftheNationalAcademies.Theinstitutionalgoalofadecadalsurveyistoconsiderthepastandcurrentresearchofthefieldandprovideconsensusrecommendationsforthedirectionofthefieldoverthenextdecade.Theserecommendationsaremadebyasurveycommitteewhoaredirectedbythestatementoftaskandinformedbycommunityinput.”

http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/CurrentProjects/SSB_185159

➢ NASAusestheDecadalSurveytosetfundingpriorities.

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Process(continued)➢  “TheStatementofTaskisbeingnegotiatedbytheAcademiesandthepotentialsponsors

ofthesurvey.OncetheprojectisfundedtheTaskwillbepostedhere.”http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/CurrentProjects/SSB_185159

➢  Negotiatingsponsors:NASA,NSF,andDoE ➢  TheCommitteeonAstronomyandAstrophysics(CAA)helpstheNationalAcademiesand

Agenciesthinkaboutissuesrelevanttogeneratingthetaskstatement,“stimulateandgathercommunityinputpriortotheSurvey,andpavethewayintotheSurvey”.

➢  includinglessonsfrompreviousSurveysandthemid-decadalreportinput ➢  CoChairs:MarciaRieke(UofAZ)andSteveRitz(UCSC) ➢  “Participationinwhitepaperswillnotnecessarilydisqualifyauthorsfromserviceon

Surveypanels.” https://www.nsf.gov/attachments/242692/public/RiekeMarcia_RitzSteve_NRCCAAUpdate2_150PM.pdfhttp://sites.nationalacademies.org/BPA/BPA_048755

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Timeline➢  AsoftheAcademieswebsite16Aug2018:

--2018JanuaryAASTownHall –2018MarchAstro2020proposalsubmittedtoAgencies –Summer:ScienceWhitePapercallissued –2018≤DecemberChairselected –2019JanuaryAASTownHallandothercommunityoutreachactivities Itwilltake~2yearstocompletethesurveyprocessandreleasethereport.

➢  NB:identicaltopresentationbyCAACoChairs(personalassessment)toAAACinJan2018 (AAAC=TheAstronomyandAstrophysicsAdvisoryCommitteefederaladvisorycommittee) ➢  “Membersofthesurveycommitteewillbeappointedafterfundingfromthesponsorsis

received.Theappointmentofthemembershipofthesubpanelswilloccurafterthat.” ➢  SurveyStructure:determinedbytheSurveyCommitteeafterit’sappointed ➢  NationalAcademy’sstatementoncommunityinput:

“Communityinputisessentialtothedecadalsurveyprocess.Thecallforsciencewhitepapershasbeenissuedandinstructionsforpreparingandsubmittingthewhitepapersarebelow.Thewindowforsubmissionofsciencewhitepaperswillbebetween12:01amEST,Monday,7January2019and11:59pmFriday,18January2019.”

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CommunityScienceWhitePapers➢  CallforcommunitysciencewhitepapersissuedbyCAAJuly2018

http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/CurrentProjects/SSB_185159➢  Submissionwindow:7-18January2019➢  Instructions:

http://sites.nationalacademies.org/cs/groups/ssbsite/documents/webpage/ssb_187932.pdfHighlights:➢  PastwhitepapersinformedtheDecadalSurveycommitteeaboutwhatthecommunity

viewsasimportantsciencetopicsandprovidedguidanceaboutareasneedingdeeperexamination.

➢  TheCAAencouragescollaborationonsciencewhitepapers.➢  Contributingtoand“evenleadingawhitepaperdoesnotnecessarilyprecludeone's

selectiontotheSurveyCommitteeoroneofitspanels”.➢  CAAanticipatesanadditionalcall(s)forwhitepapersonstateoftheprofessionandon

missions,projects,andtechnologydevelopment

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Content:Focusonscienceandcontext:

➢  “Whitepapers...shouldspecificallyandsuccinctlyidentifynewscienceopportunitiesandcompellingsciencethemes,placethoseinthebroaderinternationalscientificcontext,anddescribethekeyadvancesinobservation,experiment,and/ortheorynecessarytorealizethosescientificopportunitieswithinthedecade2020-2030.”

➢  Whitepapersshould:

➢  Identifyscientificopportunitiesandcompellingscientificthemesforthecomingdecade,particularlyfromrecentadvances

➢  Describethescientificcontextoftheimportanceoftheseopportunities,includingconnectionstootherpartsofastronomyandastrophysicsandsciencemorebroadly

➢  Whilefocusingonscience,notspecificmissionsorprojects,describeandquantifythekeyadvancesinobservation,measurement,theory,and/orcomputationnecessarytorealizethescientificopportunitieswithinthedecade2020-2030andbeyond.

Style:(notdescribedincall;fromdiscussionwithvariouscommunities’members)➢  Anticipatethatshorter,science-focusedwhitepapersaimedatbeingmorepersuasive,w

referencestopublishedworkswillbemosteffective.

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CommunityScienceWhitePapers

➢  “Whitepapersshouldidentifyaprimarythematicsciencearea(and,ifrelevant,asecondaryarea)...”

➢  Thematicareas:1.   PlanetarySystems2.   StarandPlanetformation,includingmolecularcloudsandthecoldinterstellarmedium,dust,and

astrochemistry3.   StarsandStellarEvolution,includingthestructureandevolutionofsingleandmultiplestars,andbrown

dwarfs.4.   Formationandevolutionofcompactobjects,includingstellar-massblackholes,neutronstars,white

dwarfs,supernovae,mergersofcompactobjects,gamma-raybursts,accretion,productionofheavyelementsandotherextremephysicsonstellarscales.

5.   Resolvedstellarpopulationsandtheirenvironments,includingthestructureandpropertiesoftheMilkyWayandnearbygalaxies,theirstellarpopulationsandevolution,aswellasinterstellarmediaandstarclusters.

6.   GalaxyEvolution7.   CosmologyandFundamentalPhysics,includingdarkmatteranddarkenergy,astroparticlephysics,

testsofgravity,andastronomicallydeterminedphysicalconstants.8.   MultimessengerAstronomyandAstrophysics,includingthesourcesofgravitationalwaves,

astrophysicalandcosmogenicneutrinos,cosmicraysandgammarays,andthecoordinatedmulti-messengerandmultiwavelengthfollow-ups.

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CommunityScienceWhitePapers

Formatting:

Requestduetoanticipatedlargevolumeofpapers:➢  5pages,includingallfigures,tables,andappendicesandnotreferencesandauthorlist➢  Additionalcoverpage,includingthetitle,thethematicsciencearea(s),andauthorlist➢  12-ptfont,singlespaced,with1-inchmarginsonallsidesofthedocument➢  Onlypdfformataccepted

Templatewillbeprovided.

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CommunityScienceWhitePapers

Otherefforts=>opportunitiesforcoordination,collaboration,etc:

➢  ThePhysPAG’sGamma-raySIG:➢  facilitatingthegamma-raycommunities'whitepapersvia

■  ~monthlyteleconsandin-personmeetingsinMay2018,Oct2018,…■  todiscussthecommunity'spossiblestrategiesandtostartwritingwhitepapers

➢  Currentlydiscussing5whitepapers:■  Whatis/aretheorigin/sandevolutionofstellarmassandsupermassiveblackholes?

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a4lFhwCo9HkXbZmxGN7OIRFUqHA0CywjxOWBgvlSZLs/edit?usp=sharing■  Howareelementscreated?

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y6-ghlWKt66v-yonKOf4IHTp4OQYFd-gH0zKxRjeuL8/edit?usp=sharing■  DarkMatter

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tnjzpLyKYVXHpETnsSY_3qtfZ_4g5iU-mcrHyrkk3ec/edit■  Whatistheoriginandcompositionofrelativisticjets?Howareparticlesacceleratedto

highenergies(orwhatistheoriginofcosmicrays)? https://docs.google.com/document/d/16Y--YsSnOwvPNoujEoK6RglfMze1ZHkEus10M5hDNs0/edit?usp=sharing

■  Multimessengerastrophysics=>incoordinationwithMMASAG(co-chairJohnTomsick)➢  Whitepaperswillcross-referenceeachother,wMMAwhitepaperasoverview➢  LookingforinputonDecadalstrategyandwhitepaperparticipantsandleads➢  Happytocoordinate/collaboratewithfolksatthisconferenceand/ormergeefforts

onanelementcreationwhitepaper!

https://pcos.gsfc.nasa.gov/sigs/grsig/

CommunityScienceWhitePapers

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Otherefforts=>opportunitiesforcoordination,collaboration,etc:

➢  ThePhysPAGMultmessengerAstrophysics(MMA)ScienceAnalysisGroup(SAG):➢  OpentoENTIREcommunity➢  Messengersinclude

■  photonsofallwavelengths,■  gravitationalwaves,■  cosmicrays,■  neutrinos,■  etc.

➢  Teamsorganizedbytopic:■  AGN,SMBHbinaries,EMRIs

Leads:SarahBurke-Spolaor,BinduRani■  NS+NS,NS+BH,WD-WDbinaries,GRBs.

Leads:EricBurns,ColleenWilson-Hodge■  StellarmassBH-BHbinaries

Leads:SaavikFord,PeterShawhan■  FRBs,SNeIa,SNremnants

Lead:GeoffClayton➢  Bi/weeklytopicalteammeetings,monthlyMMASAGmeetings➢  MMASAGwelcomesyourparticipationinwritingwhitepapers!

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CommunityScienceWhitePapers

Otherefforts=>opportunitiesforcoordination,collaboration,etc:➢  Space-basedGravitationalWaveCommunity

➢  organizedaroundLISA(ESA-ledmissionwUScontribution)➢  NASALISAStudyTeam

➢  Establishedasetofkeysciencewhitepapers,volunteerwriters,andmet*inFebforawhitepaperwritingworkshop.(*includingwremoteparticipants)

➢  On-goingcollaborativewritingusingonlinetools ➢  MeetinginOcttocontinuewriting/editing

➢  GWSIG:coordinatingcommunityandNLSTeffortshttps://pcos.gsfc.nasa.gov/sigs/gwsig.php andwhitepaperslisttherein

➢  Space-basedX-rayCommunity

➢  Lynxlargemissionconceptstudy ➢  InstrumentpapersinspecialeditionofSPIEJournalofAstronomical

Telescopes,Instruments,andSystems ➢  Plantopublishsciencewhitepapers

➢  ~3X-ray/softgamma-rayProbestudies:STROBE-X,TAP,AXIS➢  X-raySIG:assistingcommunityinorganizingwhitepapers

https://pcos.gsfc.nasa.gov/sigs/xrsig.php

CommunityScienceWhitePapers

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CAAReportonNASADecadalActivities➢  NASAAstrophysicsrequestedthattheCAAreviewNASA'sAstro2020DecadalSurvey

preparationactivitiesinordertoimprovethevalueofNASA’spreparations.https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/2020-decadal-survey-planning/

➢  Report6Aug2018:https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25212/report-series-committee-on-astronomy-and-astrophysics-mission-concept-studies?utm_source=NAP_embed_book_widget&utm_medium=widget&utm_campaign=Widget_v4&utm_content=25212

Findings:➢  CAAcommendsNASAforsustainedandwell-consideredpreparationefforts,namelythe

4largemissionstudiesandtheProbestudies.thatcouldimprovevaluetoAstro2020:1.  Clearlyshowkeymissionrequirements,derivedfromsciencedriversandtheirimpact

onthedesign,egsciencetraceabilitymatrix.2.  Missionconceptstudiescouldincludepossibledescope&upgradeoptionswithrelated

impactonscienceandcost.Implicit:prioritizemissioncapabilities.3.  Riskevaluationandenumerationisessential,andtoclearlycommunicate.4.  Similarlevelsofdetailwillhelpensureaclearbasisforcomparisonofmissionconcepts.5.  Totheextentpossiblegivenresources,optimizethemissiondesignandpresentation.6.  MissionconceptsthatdidnotgetNASAsupportmaystillsubmittodecadal;anticipate

continuedopensubmissionpolicy.7.  AffordabilityandbudgetguidancehelpalignstudiestoDecadalSurveyneeds.

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Doesn’ttheDecadaljustcareaboutthebigstuff?➢  Recentdecadesandmid-decadalhaveparticularlyfocusedonbalance,egemphasison

suborbitalprogramandR&A,andstrategicinvestments,egStrategicAstrophysicsTechnologyprogram

➢  Derivedfromcompellingsciencecase(s)laidoutinwhitepaperstotheDecadal(andinputstothemid-Decadal)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaXmIPHrHmYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmCBWGDXLf0 14

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