A Wide-Field Corrector for the Dark Energy Survey (fEC version)

宇宙是由什么构成的？最近的天文测量表明，宇宙是平的，其中包含大约4%的普通物质(重子)，26%的神秘冷暗物质和70%的奇异暗能量，以及已知的被称为中微子的质量粒子的微小可能贡献。这个模型提出了关于暗物质和暗能量的本质的基本问题。这些话题引起了天文学家、物理学家和公众的极大兴趣。我们建议加入一个国际合作，通过帮助为智利的一台大型望远镜建造一台新的广视场相机，来进行暗能量调查(DES)。计划中的调查将在2009年至2014年期间进行，共5个观测季节，总共约525个夜晚。这项调查将提供3亿个星系的粗略距离，比目前拥有可用距离的星系数量大一个数量级。它将被用来研究星系团、星团、被称为超新星的标准“蜡烛”，以及视线沿线的大质量对来自遥远来源的光的弯曲。主要目标是准确地确定宇宙中暗能量和暗物质的性质，使其控制在几个百分点以内。建议UCL(光学科学实验室)的仪器小组将为升级后的望远镜的光学系统作出重大实物贡献，拟议费用约为DES估计总费用的15%。这一实物捐助将使英国天文学家能够获得DES数据，并在宇宙学和星系形成的关键项目中发挥领导作用。对英国天文学家来说，一个特别的好处是可以同时获得可见光DES数据和红外数据(来自智利的另一台名为Vista的望远镜)。

What is the Universe made of? The recent astronomical measurements suggest a model in which the universe is flat and contains approximately 4% ordinary matter (baryons), 26 % mysterious cold dark matter and 70 % exotic dark energy, with small possible contribution of known massive particles called neutrinos. This model poses fundamental questions about the nature of the dark matter and the dark energy. These topics are of great interest to astronomers, physicists and the general public. We propose to join an international collaboration to conduct the Dark Energy Survey (DES) by helping to build a new wide-field camera for a large telescope in Chile. The planned survey will take place from 2009 to 2014 through 5 observing seasons, approximately 525 nights in total. The survey will provide crude distances for 300 million galaxies one order of magnitude larger than the number of galaxies with available distances to date. It will be used to study galaxy clustering, clusters, standard 'candles' called Supernovae and the bending of light from distant sources by large masses along the line of sight. The primary goal is to accurately determining properties of dark energy and dark matter in the Universe to within few percent. It is proposed that the instrumentation group at UCL (the Optical Science Laboratory) will make a significant in-kind contribution to the optics of the upgraded telescope at a proposed cost of approximately 15% of the total estimated cost of DES. This in-kind contribution will allow UK astronomers to access DES data and to take on leadership roles in key projects on cosmology and galaxy formation. A special benefit to UK astronomers would be the access to both the visible DES data and the infra-red data (from another telescope in Chile called VISTA).