The newly released 鈥淧athways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s,鈥 a from the National Academies of 麻豆视频, Engineering, and Medicine, identifies scientific priorities, opportunities, and funding recommendations for the next ten years of astronomy and astrophysics.
A quarter of the faculty from the Department of Astronomy in the 麻豆视频 and 麻豆视频 participated in the survey: , assistant professor and deputy director of the ; , Ph.D. 鈥85, professor of astronomy; , the Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy; and , associate professor of astronomy and of Earth and Atmospheric 麻豆视频 in the College of Engineering.
, associate professor of astronomy and director of the Carl Sagan Institute and , associate professor of astronomy and of engineering (College of Engineering), served as reviewers for the decadal survey.
鈥淭he priorities set forth in the Astro2020 decadal directly address the most important scientific questions astronomy can answer,鈥 said , the David C. Duncan Professor in the Physical 麻豆视频 and chair of the Department of Astronomy. 鈥淗ow did everything begin? What is the nature of space itself, and how can we explore it through the effects of the most massive and exotic objects in the cosmos? How do planets form and evolve toward places that can host life, and how many such places in the Galaxy are there?鈥
Over the past decade Cornell has expanded its traditional strength in solar system exploration to exoplanet discovery, characterization and modeling. The Department of Astronomy is well positioned to play a role in the 鈥淧athways to Habitable Worlds鈥 science theme, said Lewis, through flagship-scale missions like the James Webb Space Telescope, as well as ground-based experimental and theoretical studies of exoplanets.
鈥淚n part through Cornell-led observation, theory and experiment, the capabilities of the next generation of exoplanet missions envisioned by Astro2020 will be defined and realized,鈥 she said.
Cornell also has expanded its scientific programs in cosmology and multi-messenger astronomy and has 鈥渧igorous ongoing activities that are directly related to the highest priority activities called out by the decadal report, and in developing the next generation technologies and instrumentation that are necessary to support these future groundbreaking efforts in cosmology,鈥 said Stacey.
One such priority is the joint NSF-DOE program for the next generation cosmic microwave background experiment (CMB-S4). Haynes noted that studies of the cosmic microwave background are already a cornerstone of the surveys planned for the (FYST), centerpiece of the CCAT-Prime international project led by Cornell, which is scheduled for first light in 2024.
鈥淭he CCAT/FYST collaboration has a memorandum of understanding with the CMB-S4 to explore incorporating FYST into the CMB-S4 program,鈥 said Haynes, adding that 鈥渢he FYST鈥檚 exceptional high-altitude location and precise surface will make it a unique contributor to the CMB-S4 program through observations at the short submillimeter wavelengths.鈥
The report also emphasizes the power of using pulsar timing to investigate fundamental physics and astrophysics in a comprehensive program of multi-messenger astronomy.
鈥淧ulsar timing capabilities are critical for tackling a number of high-priority science questions: the mass and spin distributions for neutron stars and black holes, the growth of supermassive black holes, the synthesis of information from electromagnetic, particle, and gravitational wave signals the properties of dark matter; pulsar timing arrays can potentially detect anomalies owing to lensing by dark matter lumps), and the cosmological implications of gravitational waves,鈥 said , the George Feldstein Professor of Astronomy.
Cornell is a co-PI institution for the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav), which is the global leader in the use of pulsars for gravitational wave detection. NANOGrav and Cornell are part of the concept development for a transformational radio array telescope in partnership with Caltech that would take the next step in pulsar timing efforts to detect gravitational waves.
The Astro2020 report also has a strong focus on building an astronomy and astrophysics workforce that is diverse, inclusive, and equitable. This is the first decadal survey to have a distinct panel dedicated to this topic, noted Haynes, who served on the panel.
鈥淭his new recognition of the foundational nature of investment in human resources is evident in the whole structure of the report,鈥 said Haynes. 鈥淭he report recognizes the demonstrated increase in innovation that a diverse community brings to the research enterprise and proposes specific steps that the agencies can take towards increasing diversity, equity and sustainability.鈥
Cornell鈥檚 Department of Astronomy is part of this national effort, noted Lunine, through the hiring of diverse faculty, postdoctoral scholars and research scientists, focused training for faculty, staff and students in combatting implicit and explicit bias, and active discussion of both the tools for DEI and the obstacles that continue to challenge our goals in this arena.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited to see that there is a strong focus on building an astronomy and astrophysics workforce that is diverse, inclusive, and equitable in the report,鈥 said Lewis. 鈥淚t was really an honor to be able to serve on one of the panels that helped to shape the recommendations from the ASTRO2020 decadal survey. There were so many great ideas submitted for consideration by the community from white papers and other sources. I am looking forward to seeing how the exoplanet field evolves as we work toward the report鈥檚 goals.鈥
The decadal study 鈥 undertaken by the 鈥 was sponsored by NASA, National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and U.S. Air Force.
More News from A&S
鈥楲ittle reason to expect any meaningful check鈥 on president despite some vocal opposition to strikes on Iran
Government
