EUCLID Phase-A Studies

这项提案是为欧几里得的A阶段研究提供资金，欧几里得是欧空局“宇宙视野”计划中选定的m级候选任务。欧几里得的设计目的是通过几种互补的方式对暗能量进行最精确的测量，以探索它是什么，并精确地量化它在宇宙演化中的作用。在目前的宇宙“共识模型”中，宇宙的四分之三由暗能量组成，五分之一由暗物质组成：欧几里得也将测量并阐明暗物质的本质。有人担心，相反，我们关于引力的基本观念可能需要修正，欧几里得将测试许多修正后的引力理论的有效性。除了暗能量和暗物质的研究，欧几里得将提供一个真正巨大的整个天空的遗留数据集，光学成像在0.25角秒的空间分辨率非常微弱的限制（R~24.5），红外成像在3个波段类似的限制，只是稍差的空间分辨率，光谱和红移1.5亿个星系到H=22。这个数据集只能从太空获得。它将被世界各地的科学家在广泛的背景下使用，并且它将具有巨大的公共推广潜力。欧几里得计划在2017年发射。有效载荷仪器将通过国家资助生产，因此这笔资金支持该规定的第一部分。英国欧几里德团队将与欧空局合作开发整体欧几里德有效载荷概念，提供重要的科学投入，以确保采用最佳方法并指导设计权衡。它将通过欧空局向欧空局委托的整个任务的工业研究提供投入。该团队还将与其他欧洲同事合作，开发具有两个焦平面（一个光学和一个红外）和红外光谱仪的大视场成像仪，并在这些领域发挥重要作用。该提案包含支持科学研究的请求，欧几里得水平的系统工程工作，以及仪器方面的工作：可见光成像仪（特别是探测器和整个电子检测链），以及近红外光谱仪和成像仪的光机械概念和设计。英国团体一直在通过宇宙视野进程广泛地工作，通过其前身DUNE和SPACE为欧几里得做出贡献。他们在核心仪器和任务的科学支持中发挥了核心作用，在形成任务概念方面非常有效。这笔赠款将巩固英国集团的领先地位，通过他们的愿景和承诺实现到目前为止。

This proposal is for funding to support phase A studies for Euclid, a selected candidate M-class mission in ESA's Cosmic Vision programme. Euclid is designed to make the most exquisitely accurate measurements of Dark Energy in several complementary ways, to explore what it is, and to quantify precisely its role in the evolution of the Universe. In the current 'consensus model' of the Universe, three quarters of it consists of Dark Energy, and one fifth of Dark Matter: Euclid will measure and elucidate the nature of Dark Matter too. There is some concern that, instead, our fundamental ideas about gravity may need revision, and Euclid will test the validity of many of these modified gravity theories. Besides Dark Energy and Dark Matter studies, Euclid will provide a truly colossal legacy dataset over the whole sky, with optical imaging at 0.25 arc second spatial resolution to very faint limits (R~24.5), infrared imaging in 3 bands to similar limits and only slightly worse spatial resolution, and spectra and redshifts of 150 million galaxies to H=22. This dataset can only be obtained from space. It will be used by scientists worldwide in a wide range of contexts, and it will have huge public outreach potential. The planned launch of Euclid is 2017. The payload instruments will be produced through national funding, so this funding supports the first part of that provision. The UK Euclid team will work with ESA to develop the overall Euclid payload concept, providing vital scientific inputs to ensure that the optimal approach is taken and to guide design tradeoffs. It will, through ESA, provide inputs to the ESA-commissioned industry studies of the mission as a whole. The team will also work with other European colleagues to develop a large- field imager with two focal planes (one optical and one infrared) and an infrared spectrograph, and has strong roles in each of these areas. The proposal contains requests for supporting the scientific studies, system engineering work at the level of Euclid, and work on the instrumentation: the visible imager (particularly the detectors and entire electronics detection chain), and the optomechanical concept and design for both the near infrared spectrograph and imager. UK groups have been working extensively through the Cosmic Vision process to contribute to Euclid through its precursor, DUNE and SPACE. They have taken central roles in the core instrumentation and in the science support to the mission and have been highly effective in shaping the mission concept. This grant will cement the leading positions for UK groups, realised up to now through their vision and commitment.