The Simons Observatory: science goals and forecasts for the enhanced Large Aperture Telescope

The Simons Observatory Collaboration; Abitbol, M; Abril-Cabezas, I; Adachi, S; Ade, P; Adler, AE; Agrawal, P; Aguirre, J; Ahmed, Z; Aiola, S; Alford, T; Ali, A; Alonso, D; Alvarez, MA; An, R; Arnold, K; Ashton, P; Atkins, Z; Austermann, J; Azzoni, S; Baccigalupi, C; Lizancos, AB; Barron, D; Barry, P; Bartlett, J; Battaglia, N; Battye, R; Baxter, E; Bazarko, A; Beall, JA; Bean, R; Beck, D; Beckman, S; Begin, J; Beheshti, A; Beringue, B; Bhandarkar, T; Bhimani, S; Bianchini, F; Biermann, E; Biquard, S; Bixler, B; Boada, S; Boettger, D; Bolliet, B; Bond, JR; Borrill, J; Borrow, J; Braithwaite, C; Brien, TLR; Jones, M; La Posta, A; Leech, J; Taylor, AC

Preprint

The Simons Observatory: science goals and forecasts for the enhanced Large Aperture Telescope

Abstract:: We describe updated scientific goals for the wide-field, millimeter-wave survey that will be produced by the Simons Observatory (SO). Significant upgrades to the 6-meter SO Large Aperture Telescope (LAT) are expected to be complete by 2028, and will include a doubled mapping speed with 30,000 new detectors and an automated data reduction pipeline. In addition, a new photovoltaic array will supply most of the observatory's power. The LAT survey will cover about 60% of the sky at a regular observing cadence, with five times the angular resolution and ten times the map depth of Planck. The science goals are to: (1) determine the physical conditions in the early universe and constrain the existence of new light particles; (2) measure the integrated distribution of mass, electron pressure, and electron momentum in the late-time universe, and, in combination with optical surveys, determine the neutrino mass and the effects of dark energy via tomographic measurements of the growth of structure at z < 3; (3) measure the distribution of electron density and pressure around galaxy groups and clusters, and calibrate the effects of energy input from galaxy formation on the surrounding environment; (4) produce a sample of more than 30,000 galaxy clusters, and more than 100,000 extragalactic millimeter sources, including regularly sampled AGN light-curves, to study these sources and their emission physics; (5) measure the polarized emission from magnetically aligned dust grains in our Galaxy, to study the properties of dust and the role of magnetic fields in star formation; (6) constrain asteroid regoliths, search for Trans-Neptunian Objects, and either detect or eliminate large portions of the phase space in the search for Planet 9; and (7) provide a powerful new window into the transient universe on time scales of minutes to years, concurrent with observations from Rubin of overlapping sky.

Publication status:: Published

Peer review status:: Not peer reviewed

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APA Style

Collaboration, T. S. O., Abitbol, M., Abril-Cabezas, I., Adachi, S., Ade, P., Adler, A. E., Agrawal, P., Aguirre, J., Ahmed, Z., Aiola, S., Alford, T., Ali, A., Alonso, D., Alvarez, M. A., An, R., Arnold, K., Ashton, P., Atkins, Z., Austermann, J., … Taylor, A. C. (2025). The Simons Observatory: science goals and forecasts for the enhanced Large Aperture Telescope. arXiv.

MLA Style

Collaboration, The Simons Observatory, et al. The Simons Observatory: Science Goals and Forecasts for the Enhanced Large Aperture Telescope. arXiv, 2025.

Chicago Style

Collaboration, The Simons Observatory, M Abitbol, I Abril-Cabezas, S Adachi, P Ade, AE Adler, P Agrawal, et al. 2025. “The Simons Observatory: Science Goals and Forecasts for the Enhanced Large Aperture Telescope.” arXiv.
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