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AST Senior Review Major Recommendations NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST): AAAC Ralph Gaume Deputy Division Director September 27, 2017 NSF, MPS, Big Ideas • Jim Ulvestad, Acting Assistant Director, Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences • Presentation, Questions 09/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 2 Talk Outline • Highlights • The Move • AST Personnel • AST Grant Program • AST Facilities – Including Divestment • AST Budget (FY 2018) 9/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 3 Some Highlights 9/27/2017 AAAC 4 Continental-America Telescope Eclipse (CATE) • Led by Matt Penn of NSF’s National Solar Observatory • 68 identical telescope sites along the path of totality manned by citizen scientists • Images every 10 seconds with 2 arcsecond resolution • 90+ minutes of eclipse data (coronal movie) 9/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 6 Dark Energy Survey Determines Cosmological Parameters The DES collaboration analyzed the first year of imaging data from the Dark Energy Camera on the NOAO Blanco 4m telescope. Those determinations alone are comparable in accuracy to those of the Planck mission. Credit: C. Chang et al,, arxiv:1708.01535 (2017) Credit: Dark Energy Collaboration, arxiv 1708.01530 (2017 ) . Utilized weak lensing distortion of 26 million source galaxies in four redshift bins (mass map above), and the angular correlation of 650,000 luminous red galaxies for the analysis. Combined with other cosmological measures, they derive values for the density of dark energy and dark matter with ~1% uncertainty, and the equation of state to ~4%. The investigation is supported jointly by NSF and DOE. Two highlights: ALMA and VLA ALMA: Outflows from AGB stars - Thermal CO spectral line data cube of U Antlia. Suggests a high mass outflow rate (10-5 solar masses/yr) about 2700 years ago of ~100 years duration. Kerschbaum et al. A&A Aug 10, 2017 VLA: Has begun new sky survey (VLASS), anticipated to detect 10M objects, 4x currently known. Will require ~5500 hrs of observing time. NVSS, FIRST, & VLASS images Credit: Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF 9/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 8 9/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 9 Two highlights: ALMA and VLA ALMA: Outflows from AGB stars - Thermal CO spectral line data cube of U Antliae. Suggests a high mass outflow rate (10-5 solar masses/yr) about 2700 years ago of ~100 years duration. Kerschbaum et al. A&A Aug 10, 2017 VLA: Has begun new sky survey (VLASS), anticipated to detect 10M objects, 4x currently known. Will require ~5500 hrs of observing time. NVSS, FIRST, & VLASS images Credit: Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF 9/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 10 The Move 9/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 11 The Move . NSF is 5/6 moved from Arlington, Virginia Alexandria, Virginia . BFA, OIG, OIRM (partial) Aug 28 . GEO, MPS, OIRM (partial) Sept 05 . CISE, HER, OIRM (partial) Sept 11 . BIO, OIRM (partial) Sept 18 . ENG, ODI, OIA, OISE Sept 25 . NSB, OD, OGC, OLPA, OIRM, SBE Oct 02 . RG personal opinion: move went much better than I anticipated New NSF 9/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 12 AST Personnel 9/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 13 Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST) Office of the Division Director Administration Richard Green Deputy DivisionD Director DivisionD Director Individual Investigator Programs and Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Grants Kenneth Johnston Expert Matthew Benacquista Program Director IIP Coordinator; Education & Extragalactic Galactic Astronomy & Solar and Stellar Advanced Technologies Stellar Special Astronomy & Astronomy Astrophysics Planetary Astronomy & & Instrumentation, Astronomy & Programs Cosmology Postdoctoral Research Astrophysics Major Research Astrophysics (REU, PAARE) Fellowships Grants Instrumentation Facilities, Mid-Scale, & MREFC Projects ESM Bevin (Ashley) Zauderer Vernon Pankonin Program Director National Optical Astronomy Observatory Richard Barvainis Jonathan Williams Mid-Scale Innovations Program Program Director Philip Puxley Atacama Large Millimeter Array Gemini National Radio National Large Synoptic Green Bank Arecibo Observatory Observatory Astronomy Solar Survey Observatory, Long Observatory Observatory Telescope Baseline Observatory AST Grants Program 9/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 15 AAG Funding History, 1990-2017 79.6 AAG Budget, $M From 2000 to 2008, AAG funding doubled, 48.7 but the funding rate went down by 1/3 49.4 48.1 48.4 48.5 48.7 44.5 43.7 41.5 42.1 42.4 38.9 32.4 34.0 29.4 30.7 20.9 22.7 20.2 18.6 19.3 19.7 18.8 16.2 17.0 18.2 17.1 17.5 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 50.4 48.0 Proposal Funding Rate, % 45.1 45.1 38.1 36.8 36.3 34.3 31.2 31.2 29.5 29.3 28.8 28.5 27.6 26.7 24.9 24.4 19.3 23.9 22.4 20.7 19.9 18.6 18.8 19.3 16.7 14.8 15.4 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Proposals in AAG, 1990-2017 PLA SAA 637 311 319 280 307 GAL EXC 308 270 318 243 223 259 242 219 102 118 157 144 170 107 130 136 119 122 138 91 124 134 128 124 96 238 87 72 96 131 91 128 78 76 122 74 239 145 159 78 88 82 72 91 274 143 58 52 48 76 107 49 50 73 58 41 227 200 62 59 135 148 160 125 105 113 108 126 112 104 119 112 115 134 96 113 104 100 126 136 80 89 135 122 90 64 60 66 60 66 41 36 43 41 38 40 48 44 57 58 52 54 18 12 13 19 33 32 31 1990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017 1990 2017 IIP Update . No Proposal Deadline pilot underway for the Planetary/Exoplanetary and Solar portions of AAG . Purposes: Understand and resolve issues with proposal handling and merit review; alleviate impact of life events for proposers; investigate impact on proposal load over the year; enable proposal file updates for minor errors. Pilot will continue in FY2018. Too soon to draw conclusions, but... solar proposals up, planet/exoplanet proposals down . MSIP solicitation has been released for FY2018. ATI deadline postponed. Program review in progress. PAARE deadline postponed. Program review in progress . New MRI solicitation expected for FY2018 9/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 18 AST Facilities 9/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 19 Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) . DKIST will be a 4.2-meter solar telescope to study the Sun at the fundamental 20-km scale of the solar magnetic structures. Completion in FY 2020 at Haleakala Observatory (Maui). Hawaii Supreme Court affirmed construction permit (Oct. 6) . Top: Artist’s view of DKIST enclosure with cutaway . Bottom: Base ring of Telescope Mount Assembly (right) inside the DKIST enclosure (left). 1/04/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 20 Large Synoptic Survey Telescope . 10 year survey of 10s of billions of objects in space and time . F1.2, 8.4m primary, FOV 3.5d (9.6 sq d) . 3.2 Gpixel camera, 2 sec readout, ~15 TB per night . 825 visits per pointing (main survey = 18,000 sq d) . ~10 M alerts per night, 60 sec latency . Construction progressing, late 2022 start date for survey. Recent construction image … compared to artist’s impression 1/04/2017 NSF-AAS Town Hall 21 National Center for Optical-Infrared Astronomy (NCOA) AST Facilities Divestment 9/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 23 AST Facility Portfolio . Portfolio Review Committee was commissioned in 2011 as broadly representative subcommittee of MPS Advisory Committee . Portfolio Review Committee reported out in August 2012 . Recommended a balance of small, medium and large programs that would require divestment of a number of operating telescopes from AST budget . Community Advice, including both the Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC) and the National Academies Midterm Assessment of the decadal survey recommended (using the words of the AAAC) that “Strong efforts by NSF for facility divestment should continue as fast as is practical.” 9/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 24 What Does “Divestment” Mean? . The recommendations of the Portfolio Review Committee solely referred to removal of the funding of telescopes from the NSF/AST budget. Telescopes recommended for divestment are still important, and in some cases unique assets for astronomical research or other related uses. Hence the preferred divestment alternative, pursued vigorously by NSF since 2012, has been to find funding collaborations that enable some continued availability of NSF telescope assets for the research community. 9/27/2017 AAAC-NSF/AST 25 Divestment Summary Telescope Status KPNO 2.1m Caltech-led consortium (Robo-AO) operating for FY 2016-2018. Mayall 4m Slated for DESI; bridge from NSF to DOE; NSF/DOE MOU for transition. WIYN 3.5m NOAO share to NASA-NSF Exoplanet Observational Research Program; NSF/NASA MOU in place; NASA instrument selected. GBO Separation from NRAO in FY 2017; ~25% collaboration for basic scope; draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) expected in September. LBO/VLBA Separation from NRAO in FY 2017; MOA with US Navy in place for 50%. McMath-Pierce No obvious partner opportunities; environmental study to kick off. GONG/SOLIS SOLIS is off Kitt Peak; GONG refurbishment; Interagency Agreement with NOAA signed (NOAA sharing GONG operations costs). Sacramento Pk. University consortium in development, and NSF funded NMSU for transition to consortium; draft EIS expected in September/October. Arecibo Formal EIS process under way, as well as evaluation of proposals for operation with reduced NSF funding. EIS released August 4. Record of Decision pending. SOAR9/27/2017 Post-2020 status to be reviewed. 26 Divestment Background (Arecibo example) Record Scoping Publish Draft EIS Publish Final EIS of Decision Implement May 2016 Oct.
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