Collaborative Research: Ground-based Investigations Relevant to the Joint Dark Energy Mission

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AST-0426486KirshnerThe Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM) has recently been created through a cooperative agreement between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to detect and characterize dark energy and its influence on the cosmic expansion history. Since ground-based work will impact our understanding of dark energy during the next decade, prior to the launch of JDEM, the constraints which can be expected from such studies should play an explicit role in the requirements definition phase of JDEM. The present project will explore whether and how a ground-based observing campaign could in any way influence the design of, or anticipate any part of the results from, the JDEM. It will assess whether cross-calibration can be precise enough to obviate the need for optical detectors on JDEM, what new instrumentation might be necessary at ground-based facilities, and whether a weak lensing survey from space adds value.NASA, DOE, and NSF are all devoting significant resources toward detecting and characterizing dark energy, and these investigations provide an excellent opportunity for inter-agency cooperation. Although the NSF will not, and cannot, be involved directly in JDEM itself, the science questions affect the NSF-supported community, and this project will help to define their role.