Report from the Tri-Agency Cosmological Simulation Task Force

TL;DR

This report from the Tri-Agency Cosmological Simulation Task Force summarizes collaborative efforts and insights from US and European experts to inform the landscape of cosmological simulations for upcoming major astronomical surveys.

Contribution

It provides a coordinated community input on cosmological simulations to guide future research aligned with upcoming observatory missions.

Findings

Community-driven recommendations for simulation priorities

Insights into collaboration between US and European scientists

Guidance for future cosmological simulation development

Abstract

The Tri-Agency Cosmological Simulations (TACS) Task Force was formed when Program Managers from the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF) expressed an interest in receiving input into the cosmological simulations landscape related to the upcoming DOE/NSF Vera Rubin Observatory (Rubin), NASA/ESA's Euclid, and NASA's Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST). The Co-Chairs of TACS, Katrin Heitmann and Alina Kiessling, invited community scientists from the USA and Europe who are each subject matter experts and are also members of one or more of the surveys to contribute. The following report represents the input from TACS that was delivered to the Agencies in December 2018.