Transcript ATST from the Perspective of the National Science - DKIST

The Advanced Technology Solar Telescope from the
Perspective of the National Science Foundation
The NSF is an agency in the Executive Branch of the Federal
Government.
How do we work?
The NSF is a responsive agency. It is different from:
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The Department of Defense,
NASA,
The Department of Energy,
NOAA,
Etc.
The NSF’s priorities are set by the scientific,
engineering, and STEM educational communities.
The NSF does not unilaterally design, construct, and
operate new telescopes, colliders, laboratories, etc.
We respond to proposals from the broad community
based on scientific curiosity (science drivers).
ATST’s Science Drivers:
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4.
The
The
The
The
Sun
Sun
Sun
Sun
and Climate.
as the driver of Space Weather.
as a Star.
as a Physics Laboratory.
These questions are important enough that the development of a
new, large solar telescope was a recommendation of the entire
solar physics and solar astronomy community.
The NSF’s job is to evaluate projects via peer review, rank their
importance across fields, and fund them if they meet a rigorous
set of standards.
The ATST is not an NSF project. It is a project of the whole
community of solar and space physicists and astronomers that,
if successful, will be funded in large part by the NSF.
From the Astronomy “Decadal Survey”
• “ATST will observe solar plasma processes and magnetic fields
with unprecedented resolution in space and time. It will provide
critical information needed to solve the mysteries associated with
the generation, structure, and dynamics of the surface magnetic
fields, which govern the solar wind, solar flares, and short-term
solar variability.”
• “The first scientific goal for advancing the current understanding
of solar magnetism is to measure the structure and dynamics of
the magnetic field at the solar surface down to its fundamental
length scale”
Impact on Solar Physics and
Related Fields
 ATST will replace major solar facilities.
Nothing similar planned worldwide.
 Design is based on broad buy-in from the
solar physics community.
 Science cannot be done from space.
 Tremendous broader impacts –
solar/terrestrial relations, space weather,
climate change, astronaut safety, education,
etc.
 ATST addresses current and future scientific
challenges as defined by the community.
 Provides upgrade paths for future
requirements (e.g. Multi-Conjugate Adaptive
Optics).
 Flexibility to adapt to new scientific
challenges.
 Cornerstone facility for the next generation of
solar physicists.
The Project Team and an Engaged
Community
• PI
– National Solar Observatory
• Stephen Keil, Thomas Rimmele, Christoph Keller, NSO Staff
• Co-PIs
– HAO
• Michael Knölker, Steve Tomczyk, Dave Elmore, Phil Judge,
Tim Brown
– University of Hawaii
• Jeff Kuhn; Haosheng Lin, Roy Coulter
– University of Chicago
• Bob Rosner, Fausto Cattaneo
– New Jersey Institute of Technology
• Phil Goode; Carsten Denker, Haimin Wang
Points to keep in mind:
1. The ATST is an expensive project, even by Federal standards.
2. The decision to fund or not to fund will only be made after a
complex and arduous set of reviews. These consider the potential
science return, cost, management structure, impact on the field,
impacts on society, and impacts on the site.
3. The ATST is well-advanced in the decision process. However, the
NSF, National Science Board, and the US Congress have not yet
decided to fund the ATST construction.
4. The selection of the Haleakalā site and the precise locations for
possible construction followed an exhaustive process -- the site
selection was not capricious. Nor is the assessment of impact.