LSST: From Science Drivers to Reference Design and Anticipated Data Products
Authors: Ivezić Željko , Kahn Steven M. , Tyson J. Anthony , Abel Bob , Acosta Emily , Allsman Robyn , Alonso David , AlSayyad Yusra , Anderson Scott F. , Andrew John , P. Angel James Roger , Angeli George Z. , Ansari Reza , Antilogus Pierre , Araujo Constanza , Armstrong Robert , Arndt Kirk T. , Astier Pierre , Aubourg Éric , Auza Nicole , Axelrod Tim S. , Bard Deborah J. , Barr Jeff D. , Barrau Aurelian , Bartlett James G. , Bauer Amanda E. , Bauman Brian J. , Baumont Sylvain , Bechtol Ellen , Bechtol Keith , Becker Andrew C. , Becla Jacek , Beldica Cristina , Bellavia Steve , Bianco Federica B. , Biswas Rahul , Blanc Guillaume , Blazek Jonathan , Blandford Roger D. , Bloom Josh S. , Bogart Joanne , Bond Tim W. , Booth Michael T. , Borgland Anders W. , Borne Kirk , Bosch James F. , Boutigny Dominique , Brackett Craig A. , Bradshaw Andrew , Brandt William Nielsen , Brown Michael E. , Bullock James S. , Burchat Patricia , Burke David L. , Cagnoli Gianpietro , Calabrese Daniel , Callahan Shawn , Callen Alice L. , Carlin Jeffrey L. , Carlson Erin L. , Chandrasekharan Srinivasan , Charles-Emerson Glenaver , Chesley Steve , Cheu Elliott C. , Chiang Hsin-Fang , Chiang James , Chirino Carol , Chow Derek , Ciardi David R. , Claver Charles F. , Cohen-Tanugi Johann , Cockrum Joseph J. , Coles Rebecca , Connolly Andrew J. , Cook Kem H. , Cooray Asantha , Covey Kevin R. , Cribbs Chris , Cui Wei , Cutri Roc , Daly Philip N. , Daniel Scott F. , Daruich Felipe , Daubard Guillaume , Daues Greg , Dawson William , Delgado Francisco , Dellapenna Alfred , Peyster Robert de , Val-Borro Miguel de , Digel Seth W. , Doherty Peter , Dubois Richard , Dubois-Felsmann Gregory P. , Durech Josef , Economou Frossie , Eifler Tim , Eracleous Michael , Emmons Benjamin L. , Neto Angelo Fausti , Ferguson Henry , Figueroa Enrique , Fisher-Levine Merlin , Focke Warren , Foss Michael D. , Frank James , Freemon Michael D. , Gangler Emmanuel , Gawiser Eric , Geary John C. , Gee Perry , Geha Marla , Gessner Charles J. B. , Gibson Robert R. , Gilmore D. Kirk , Glanzman Thomas , Glick William , Goldina Tatiana , Goldstein Daniel A. , Goodenow Iain , Graham Melissa L. , Gressler William J. , Gris Philippe , Guy Leanne P. , Guyonnet Augustin , Haller Gunther , Harris Ron , Hascall Patrick A. , Haupt Justine , Hernandez Fabio , Herrmann Sven , Hileman Edward , Hoblitt Joshua , Hodgson John A. , Hogan Craig , Howard James D. , Huang Dajun , Huffer Michael E. , Ingraham Patrick , Innes Walter R. , Jacoby Suzanne H. , Jain Bhuvnesh , Jammes Fabrice , Jee M. James , Jenness Tim , Jernigan Garrett , Jevremović Darko , Johns Kenneth , Johnson Anthony S. , Johnson Margaret W. G. , Jones R. Lynne , Juramy-Gilles Claire , Jurić Mario , Kalirai Jason S. , Kallivayalil Nitya J. , Kalmbach Bryce , Kantor Jeffrey P. , Karst Pierre , Kasliwal Mansi M. , Kelly Heather , Kessler Richard , Kinnison Veronica , Kirkby David , Knox Lloyd , Kotov Ivan V. , Krabbendam Victor L. , Krughoff K. Simon , Kubánek Petr , Kuczewski John , Kulkarni Shri , Ku John , Kurita Nadine R. , Lage Craig S. , Lambert Ron , Lange Travis , Langton J. Brian , Guillou Laurent Le , Levine Deborah , Liang Ming , Lim Kian-Tat , Lintott Chris J. , Long Kevin E. , Lopez Margaux , Lotz Paul J. , Lupton Robert H. , Lust Nate B. , MacArthur Lauren A. , Mahabal Ashish , Mandelbaum Rachel , Markiewicz Thomas W. , Marsh Darren S. , Marshall Philip J. , Marshall Stuart , May Morgan , McKercher Robert , McQueen Michelle , Meyers Joshua , Migliore Myriam , Miller Michelle , Mills David J. , Miraval Connor , Moeyens Joachim , Moolekamp Fred E. , Monet David G. , Moniez Marc , Monkewitz Serge , Montgomery Christopher , Morrison Christopher B. , Mueller Fritz , Muller Gary P. , Arancibia Freddy Muñoz , Neill Douglas R. , Newbry Scott P. , Nief Jean-Yves , Nomerotski Andrei , Nordby Martin , O’Connor Paul , Oliver John , Olivier Scot S. , Olsen Knut , O’Mullane William , Ortiz Sandra , Osier Shawn , Owen Russell E. , Pain Reynald , Palecek Paul E. , Parejko John K. , Parsons James B. , Pease Nathan M. , Peterson J. Matt , Peterson John R. , Petravick Donald L. , Petrick M. E. Libby , Petry Cathy E. , Pierfederici Francesco , Pietrowicz Stephen , Pike Rob , Pinto Philip A. , Plante Raymond , Plate Stephen , Plutchak Joel P. , Price Paul A. , Prouza Michael , Radeka Veljko , Rajagopal Jayadev , Rasmussen Andrew P. , Regnault Nicolas , Reil Kevin A. , Reiss David J. , Reuter Michael A. , Ridgway Stephen T. , Riot Vincent J. , Ritz Steve , Robinson Sean , Roby William , Roodman Aaron , Rosing Wayne , Roucelle Cecille , Rumore Matthew R. , Russo Stefano , Saha Abhijit , Sassolas Benoit , Schalk Terry L. , Schellart Pim , Schindler Rafe H. , Schmidt Samuel , Schneider Donald P. , Schneider Michael D. , Schoening William , Schumacher German , Schwamb Megan E. , Sebag Jacques , Selvy Brian , Sembroski Glenn H. , Seppala Lynn G. , Serio Andrew , Serrano Eduardo , Shaw Richard A. , Shipsey Ian , Sick Jonathan , Silvestri Nicole , Slater Colin T. , Smith J. Allyn , Smith R. Chris , Sobhani Shahram , Soldahl Christine , Storrie-Lombardi Lisa , Stover Edward , Strauss Michael A. , Street Rachel A. , Stubbs Christopher W. , Sullivan Ian S. , Sweeney Donald , Swinbank John D. , Szalay Alexander , Takacs Peter , Tether Stephen A. , Thaler Jon J. , Thayer John Gregg , Thomas Sandrine , Thornton Adam J. , Thukral Vaikunth , Tice Jeffrey , Trilling David E. , Turri Max , Berg Richard Van , Berk Daniel Vanden , Vetter Kurt , Virieux Francoise , Vucina Tomislav , Wahl William , Walkowicz Lucianne , Walsh Brian , Walter Christopher W. , Wang Daniel L. , Wang Shin-Yawn , Warner Michael , Wiecha Oliver , Willman Beth , Winters Scott E. , Wittman David , Wolff Sidney C. , Wood-Vasey W. Michael , Wu Xiuqin , Xin Bo , Yoachim Peter , Zhan Hu 
Published: March 2019

We describe here the most ambitious survey currently planned in the optical, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). The LSST design is driven by four main science themes: probing dark energy and dark matter, taking an inventory of the solar system, exploring the transient optical sky, and mapping the Milky Way. LSST will be a large, wide-field ground-based system designed to obtain repeated images covering the sky visible from Cerro Pachón in northern Chile. The telescope will have an 8.4 m (6.5 m effective) primary mirror, a 9.6 deg2 field of view, a 3.2-gigapixel camera, and six filters (ugrizy) covering the wavelength range 320–1050 nm. The project is in the construction phase and will begin regular survey operations by 2022. About 90% of the observing time will be devoted to a deep-wide-fast survey mode that will uniformly observe a 18,000 deg2 region about 800 times (summed over all six bands) during the anticipated 10 yr of operations and will yield a co-added map to r ∼ 27.5. These data will result in databases including about 32 trillion observations of 20 billion galaxies and a similar number of stars, and they will serve the majority of the primary science programs. The remaining 10% of the observing time will be allocated to special projects such as Very Deep and Very Fast time domain surveys, whose details are currently under discussion. We illustrate how the LSST science drivers led to these choices of system parameters, and we describe the expected data products and their characteristics.