Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit (CASU) (2023-2026): Powering Next Generation Survey Analysis and Processing

观测调查天文学正在推动发现，英国在最先进的观测设施的财政和智力上领先并受益于其投资。在过去的十年中，使用WFCAM和VISTA提供了北半球和南半球近红外的综合成像，英国领导了这些调查计划。这些已经并将为天体物理学提供广泛的关键见解。未来十年将见证大规模光谱调查的到来，以更详细地探测成像调查揭示的关键群体（无论是星系、恒星、小行星）。通过参与和确定将在这些设施上进行的具体调查，如WEAVE、4MOST和MOONS，英国已做好领导这一科学发现的准备。本世纪20年代开始发挥其潜力，成为“全面”巡天的十年，通过综合成像和光谱尺度数据的结合，可以在所有尺度上对天体物理学有深刻的了解。要确保这些设施和调查的科学潜力，就需要具备专业知识和系统，以最佳方式从数据中提取信息。在这方面，英国在剑桥天文测量单位（CASU）及其为英国和更广泛的社区提供具有成本效益的数据系统的能力方面处于领先地位。CASU一直处于测量天文学的前沿，不仅在从测量数据中最佳提取知识的开创性技术方面，而且在利用这些信息进行世界领先研究方面发挥了积极作用。数据处理和科学交付之间的这种协同作用和反馈已被反复证明是确保交付最好的科学数据产品以供英国和欧洲最广泛的天文学家使用的必要条件。在过去的十年中，CASU从VISTA、WFCAM和VST成像以及Gaia-ESO VLT光谱中生成的科学数据产品支持了几乎所有英国天体物理学研究所的世界级研究项目。CASU与其他多波长数据（如欧几里得、柏拉图）相结合，为ELT或JWST等设施进一步详细研究发现罕见和独特的天体，填补了天文数据湖这一社区可以挖掘的重要数据资源。CASU的作用在更广泛的背景下得到了认可，ESO依靠CASU提供其公共调查的科学数据产品，这些调查目前在ESO的调查设施上运行：VISTA， VST及其大型光谱调查。CASU为ESO提供的服务将延续到未来十年，以支持ESO新的前线光谱测量机：4MOST的科学数据交付，以及为VLT上的卫星设想的公共调查计划。这项拨款提案建立在CASU已经取得的巨大进步的基础上，并要求在2023-2026年期间为以下活动提供资金：- WP1：为下一代ESO / ING广域大规模多路复用光谱仪WEAVE， MOONS和4MOST设计和开发数据管理和分析系统；- WP2: WEAVE、MOONS和4MOST管道的全面运行，并负责交付处理后的数据产品供发布- WP3：英国主导的VISTA大规模调查的科学和分析管道的最终维护、运行、操作后发布和用户支持；- WP4：在cau数据处理中心部署和运行所有CASU管道，CASU本身托管在STFC IRIS云基础设施上。总之，CASU计划的支持确保了英国在天文数据分析方面的卓越地位。CASU提供高质量的科学数据产品，这些产品来自英国对一线光谱设施的重大投资，对于最大限度地提高英国天文学界的研究影响至关重要。

Observational survey astronomy is powering discovery, with the UK leading and benefiting from its investment, both financially and intellectually in state-of-the-art observational facilities. The last decade has seen the delivery of comprehensive imaging of both the northern and southern hemispheres in the near infrared using WFCAM and VISTA, with the UK leading these survey initiatives. These have and will provide key insights across a wide range of astrophysics. The next decade will witness the arrival of large scale spectroscopic surveys to probe in more detail key populations (be they galaxies, stars, asteroids) revealed by the imaging surveys. The UK is well poised to lead this scientific discovery, through involvement and definition of the specific surveys to be carried out on these facilities such as WEAVE, 4MOST and MOONS. The 2020s are beginning to fulfil its potential to be the decade of "total" survey astronomy enabling profound insights into astrophysics at all scales through the combination of comprehensive imaging and spectroscopic scale data. Ensuring the scientific potential of these facilities and surveys requires the availability of expertise and systems to optimally extract information from the data. Here the UK has a substantial lead with the Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit (CASU) and its proven ability to provide cost effective data systems to the UK and wider communities. CASU have been at the forefront of survey astronomy, not only in pioneering techniques to optimally extract knowledge from survey data, but also in taking a proactive role in exploiting this information to produce world-leading research. This synergy and feedback between data processing and science delivery has been repeatedly demonstrated to be essential in ensuring delivery of the best possible science data products for exploitation by the widest community of UK and European astronomers. In the last decade, CASU generated science data products from VISTA, WFCAM and VST imaging and Gaia-ESO VLT spectroscopy have supported world-class research programmes across almost every UK institute involved in astrophysics. CASU are filling the astronomical data lake, the vital data resource which the community can mine, combine with other multi-wavelength data (e.g., Euclid, PLATO) and discover rare and unique objects for further detailed study by facilities such as the ELT or the JWST. The role of CASU is acknowledged in the wider context, with ESO relying on CASU to provide the science data products from its public surveys currently running on the ESO survey facilities: VISTA, the VST and its large spectroscopic surveys. CASU's provision to ESO will extend into the next decade supporting the delivery of the science data from ESO's new front line spectroscopic survey machine: 4MOST, and for the public survey programme envisaged for MOONS on the VLT. This grant proposal builds on the tremendous advances already made by CASU and requests funding for the period 2023-2026 for the following activities:- WP1: Design and development of the data management and analysis systems for the next generation of ESO / ING wide field massively multiplexed optical spectrographs WEAVE, MOONS and 4MOST;- WP2: Full operations of the WEAVE, MOONS and 4MOST pipelines, and responsibility of the delivery of the processed data products for release- WP3: Final maintenance, operation, post operation releases and user support of the science and analysis pipelines for the UK-led VISTA large scale surveys;- WP4: Deployment and operations of all CASU pipelines at the CASU-Data Processing Centre, itself hosted on the STFC IRIS Cloud Infrastructure In summary, support of the CASU programme ensures the UK pre-eminence in astronomical data analysis. CASU provides the high-quality science data products from significant UK investment in frontline spectroscopic facilities, vital in maximising the research impact for the UK astronomical community.