The NGSS eSI Theme
Bob Mann
University of Edinburgh
rgm@roe.ac.uk
•  Apologies for my absence – I’m sorry to miss this
•  Many thanks to Stephen for organising this event
and for giving this talk
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Outline
  What is eSI?...what is an eSI Theme?
  This Theme: Next Generation Sky Surveys
  Motivation and aims
  Status
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e-Science Institute
  Based at University of Edinburgh
  Co-located with National e-Science Centre
  Mission
  “To facilitate the e-Science community”
  First phase: community building
  Training events: lectures and hands-on training
  Now: supporting the community
  Focus on longer-term issues – esp. research
  Themes – modelled on Newton Institute programmes
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eSI Themes
“A theme typically consists of a connected series of events,
visitors and workshops. It has to address e-Science research
in a deep and sustained effort to advance knowledge and
capability in its area.”
  Activity focussed on eSI in Edinburgh
  but not exclusively - e.g. this workshop @ QUB
  Initial duration six or twelve months
  Several extended – if demonstrable outcomes
  Well-supported financially
  Can pay for international speakers/visitors
Significant opportunity for those who make most of it
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Motivation and Aims
  Crucial time for survey astronomy
  Scientifically: many exciting future surveys planned
  Politically: …but not enough money for all
  Technically: …and too much data to work as now
  Want Theme to address these inter-related aspects
  Goal to produce
  prioritised Road Map for survey astronomy
  (computational & astronomical) research agenda in
preparation for them
  Proposal: www.nesc.ac.uk/esi/themes/theme_11/
  Leaders : B. Mann, R. McMahon, S. Smartt
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Theme Status
  Kick-Off Meeting in July
  Talks and summary of planning discussions on wiki:
http://wiki.esi.ac.uk/Next_Generation_Sky_Surveys
  Planning of future workshops now underway – see Wiki:
please let us know which you’d like to attend
  Slow start to workshop programme
  Changing context, given STFC cuts, etc
  Applying now for extension – to December 2010
  New Astronomy Reviews to publish “proceedings”
  Mini reviews and summaries of workshops
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NGSS : The Transient Sky
Stephen Smartt
Queen’s University Belfast
s.smartt@qub.ac.uk
2nd Meeting in the Theme :
Hosted by Queen’s University
Jan 19th – 20th 2010
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The Transient Sky :this
meeting
  Significant interest in the transient sky : synoptic
surveys
  History of follow-up and exploitation science
(GRBs, SNe, CVs, solar system+…)
  Legacy experience in survey management
  New groups in time domain survey management
  Timely to discuss our mutual interests
  International context : LSST, Pan-STARRS, PTF,
DES, our ESO partners
  UK funding and strategy : FUAP and NUAP
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Current UK initiatives
  University Consortium projects
  PTF : Oxford
  PS1 : QUB, Durham, Edinburgh
  DES : Edinburgh, Portsmouth, Nottingham, UCL,
IoA, Sussex
  + SDSS II, SWASP …
  Apart from PTF, “transient” science is not the UK
main science interest
  UK has no competitive, national, optical survey
facility
  Driven to University alliances ?
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STFC Prioritisation :
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ESO and VISTA
  UK plays the leading role in NIR surveys :
UKIDSS and VISTA
  Time series science from these in early phases
  How much discovery science is possible in the
NIR ?
  Arrays are ~10 times smaller than CCDs
  Sky is ~100 times brighter (V~21 ; J ~ 16)
  Transients tend not to be cool (T>>3000K)
  But, key follow-up of discoveries :
Tanvir et al. 09
GRB 090423,
z~8.2
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The Pan-STARRS project
Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System
PI: Nick Kaiser
Camera Lead : John Tonry
  Univ. of Hawaii project : USAF funded, technology
demonstrator – how to survey sky efficiently
  Construction of prototype PS1 and 1.4Gigapix camera
(GPC1)
  Now moving to PS2 and PS4 construction
• PS1 Director : Ken Chambers
• PS1SC is funding a 3.5 yr science mission with PS1
2009-2012
• PS1 data products release to the consortium – full public
release 1yr after survey finishes
• PS1SC have “long term lease”
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Haleakala Observatory, Maui
PS1 specs
  1.8m telescope
  f/4.4 cass camera
  GPC1 =1.4
Gigapix
  10µm pixels =
0.26”
  Focal Plane = 8 x
8 CCDs
  CCD = 8 x 8 cells
  Cells : 600x600
pix
  Equiv to 60
4800x4800 CCD
Pan-STARRS project future
  PS2 : a clone of PS1, 1.8m, 1.5 Gpix camera,
7sq degree FOV, on Haleakala. Due to
commission 2011-2012
  PS4 : 4 x PS1, on Mauna Kea. Completion date ?
  Science Consortium : open
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Computational Challenges
  Image Processing Pipeline : IPP
  Calibration : astrometric and photometric,
device classification
  Keeping up with the data flow
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Providing additional capabilities & analysis
Shipping data to PS1SC scientists
Communication and documentation
Long term archiving
Goals of the meeting
  Review the current, and upcoming sky surveys
with UK involvement : identify leadership roles
  Judge the community and scientific interest in
joining future synoptic sky surveys
  Review our aspirations for ground-based and
space based involvement for example (but not
limited to) Pan-STARRS, LSST, EUCLID/JDEM
  Identify the technical expertise we have and what
we could contribute to
  Identify the computational challenges associated
with time domain survey science
  How we inform STFC + FUAP/NUAP/GBFR of
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community desires
Discussion - theme
  The theme : unique opportunity and experiment,
not STFC led review process. Community science
and technology views
  Encourage engagement over the year
  First process : 8 page review paper of this
meeting.
  Selecting our surveys : UK University alliances
  If we fund our own non-STFC central facilities,
will we get STFC exploitation funds ?
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Discussion - technology
  Transmission of transient information – can
VOevent cope in the LSST, or PS1/PTF era ?
  Recurring theme of classification and automation
  Future role of Galaxy Zoo : core to selection ?
  Problems with statistical studies, when you
involve humans. Biases hard to quantify
  Database technology : MySQL, SQL server,
Postgre-SQL. Sufficient ?
  Computational challenges : engaging enough with
parallel communities ?
  SWASP experience : successful engagement with20
HPC
Discussion- science capability
  NIR surveys
  EUCLID JHK ~ 24 per epoch, 40 sq deg : SNe
cosmology in era of LSST ?
  VISTA capabilities : VIDEO H~24, ~15 sq deg
  Overlap and uniqueness of of surveys :
rationalistion
  Northern Hemisphere
  X-ray (and gamma-ray) surveys : future gap ?
How much of Galactic transient science need a
high-energy trigger
  Radio transients – unexplored (LOFAR)
  Roboticising 4m telescopes for follow-up ?
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Discussion - funding
LSST : top aspiration ?
In the South !! ESO, ELT, SKA synergy
Assume construction 2012-16 ; ops 2016-2027
Join before 2012 ; 50% discount
15 institutes, 50% of UK’s IAU astronomer
population, £700k/yr before operations + £1.9M/
yr during ops
  £47k per yr per institute + £126k per yr per
institute during ops
  In-kind contributions ? Data management,
transient management, telescope access, e2V
CCD manufacturer ?
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Pan-STARRS
  Northern : +30 -> -30 dec survey ?
  PS2 (2012+ projected): $1.5M for PS1 for UK
institutes
  PS4 : 2014-2024 projected
  Construction costs ~$55M ; Projects estimates
operations $5M per year (I suggest $10M/yr is
more realistc)
  15% of operations : $1.5M per year
  But at 15%, maybe ~7 institutes, $200k per yr
  Ignores construction costs to UK consortium
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