Joshua Bloom
UC Berkeley
Abstract:
I describe an ambitious project - a synoptic survey, of the entire night sky at infrared wavelengths to unprecedented depths using a dedicated wide-field 6.5-meter telescope in San Pedro Martir (SPM), Mexico. The concept is part of a new initiative for a ground-based telescope in partnership with Mexico and the University of California. What the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) are to the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS), this project will be to the seminal 2 micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS). The science drivers for the synoptic all-sky infrared (SASIR) survey are numerous, from discovery of the precious and rare high-redshift QSOs in the static sky to uncovering and studying numerous obscured and red transients. We expect to have major impact on almost all topics of astronomy, from the study of low-mass stars and exoplanets to fundamental cosmology and the detection and study of transient events. I will detail the mission concept, drivers and preliminary survey plans.