Addressing Decadal Survey Science through Community Access to Highly Multiplexed Spectroscopy with BigBOSS on the KPNO Mayall Telescope

TL;DR

This paper discusses the potential scientific impact of the BigBOSS spectrograph on the Mayall Telescope, emphasizing its role in cosmology and astrophysics, and advocates for community access to maximize scientific and educational benefits.

Contribution

It highlights the scientific opportunities of BigBOSS and advocates for open community access to enhance research and education in astrophysics.

Findings

BigBOSS can constrain cosmological parameters related to universe expansion.

Community access to BigBOSS will extend its scientific impact to galaxy, star, and IGM studies.

BigBOSS is unique in providing critical spectroscopy for US astrophysics community.

Abstract

This document summarizes the results of a community-based discussion of the potential science impact of the Mayall+BigBOSS highly multiplexed multi-object spectroscopic capability. The KPNO Mayall 4m telescope equipped with the DOE- and internationally-funded BigBOSS spectrograph offers one of the most cost-efficient ways of accomplishing many of the pressing scientific goals identified for this decade by the "New Worlds, New Horizons" report. The BigBOSS Key Project will place unprecedented constraints on cosmological parameters related to the expansion history of the universe. With the addition of an open (publicly funded) community access component, the scientific impact of BigBOSS can be extended to many important astrophysical questions related to the origin and evolution of galaxies, stars, and the IGM. Massive spectroscopy is the critical missing ingredient in numerous ongoing and planned ground- and space-based surveys, and BigBOSS is unique in its ability to provide this to the US community. BigBOSS data from community-led projects will play a vital role in the education and training of students and in maintaining US leadership in these fields of astrophysics. We urge the NSF-AST division to support community science with the BigBOSS multi-object spectrograph through the period of the BigBOSS survey in order to ensure public access to the extraordinary spectroscopic capability.