# Presentation: 887263

## Sloan Digital Sky Survey (E885)  (S. Kent, Nov 26, 2003)

**Goal:**
**Conduct fundamental research in**
**   ****cosmology, particularly formation**
**   ****& evolution of galaxies and large**
**   ****scale structure**
**Approach:**
**Digital map of 1⁄4 of sky in 5 bands**
**Spectra of 1 million galaxies,**
**   ****100,000 quasars**
**Resources:**
**2.5 m telescope in New Mexico**
**Large CCD camera**
**640 fiber spectrograph**
**13 partner institutions**

## Stakeholders

- Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
- Princeton University
- University of Chicago
- Institute for Advanced Study
- Japanese Promotion Group
- US Naval Observatory
- University of Washington
- Johns Hopkins University
- Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg
- Max Planck Institute, Garching
- New Mexico State University
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- University of Pittsburgh

## Project Schedule

- Project Timeline
- 1988:  Project conceived
- 1990:  Construction activities started
- April 2000: Observing operations began
- June 2005: Observing phase complete
- July 2006: Last data release
- Project Extension?
- 2 or 3  yr extension being considered to complete imaging survey

## Delivered "beam"

**Delivered "beam"**
**vs. 5 yr. baseline**

##   Status

**Current operations funded**
**through June, 2005**
**A proposal is being developed**
**to continue operations for**
**another 2 or more years**
**(fill the gap).**

**Percent Complete**

**78% as of Aug 6, 2003**

**48% as of Aug 6, 2003**

**IMAGING**

**SPECTROSCOPY**

- Baseline:
- 8452 sq. deg.

- Baseline:
- 1688 tiles

**  ****Status**
**(Aug 2003)**
**(North survey only)**

**78% as of Aug 6, 2003**

**48% as of Aug 6, 2003**

## FNAL/CD Participants

- Kent
- Stoughton
- Yanny
- Lin
- Annis
- Jester
- Lampeitl
- Tucker

- Adelman
- Albert
- Kouropatkine
- Hendry
- Inkmann
- Yocum
- (Neilsen)
- (Holmgren,Rechen-macher)

## Fermilab/CD Responsibilities (1)

- Responsibility for all SDSS data processing operations
- Provide computing facilities and data tapes
- Process imaging, spectroscopic, and photometric telescope data through pipelines
- Performing QA checks
- Archive data to disk or tape
- Store data in Operational Database
- Prepare data for export to SDSS data distribution servers

## Fermilab/CD Responsibilities (2)

- Maintain and improve certain data processing pipelines and code:
- Photometric Telescope Pipeline
- Final Calibration
- Target Selection
- Plate design
- Tiling
- Set Quality
- Operational database (with USNO)
- Data processing infrastructure

## Fermilab/CD Responsibilities (3)

- Data Distribution
- Load and maintain “Data Archive Server” (flat files) with partitions for public and collaboration-only access.
- Load and maintain "Catalog Archive Server" (SQL database)
- Develop (with JHU) web based interface to above
- Provide documentation for above
- Support establishment of international mirror sites

## Fermilab/CD Responsibilities (4)

- Survey Coordination
- Develop 5 year observing strategy
- Provide monthly reports on survey progress
- Develop and implement survey planning tools
- Layout
- PPlan
- Kentools
- Deliver monthly observing plans
- Maintain plate database
- Maintain PT patch database
- Deliver plug plate designs once per month

## Near-term plans

- Continue with normal data processing operations
- Data Release 2
- Release to collaboration was scheduled for Sept. 2003 This was partly met, but finishing the process is delayed ~3 months due to
- Fiddling and diddling with spectra
- Slow progress implementing CAS
- Finish developing and testing of public web interface to DAS, CAS

## Long-Term Plans

- 2 or 3 year extension
- Proposal is still being developed
- Legacy survey ("Fill the Gap")
- Galactic Structure
- Additional scans at low latitude to study structure of Milky Way
- Supernova Search
- Focus on year 3
- Imaging only