The Simons Observatory: science goals and forecasts
Authors: Ade Peter , Aguirre James , Ahmed Zeeshan , Aiola Simone , Ali Aamir , Alonso David , Alvarez Marcelo A. , Arnold Kam , Ashton Peter , Austermann Jason , Awan Humna , Baccigalupi Carlo , Baildon Taylor , Barron Darcy , Battaglia Nick , Battye Richard , Baxter Eric , Bazarko Andrew , Beall James A. , Bean Rachel , Beck Dominic , Beckman Shawn , Beringue Benjamin , Bianchini Federico , Boada Steven , Boettger David , Bond J. Richard , Borrill Julian , Brown Michael L. , Bruno Sarah Marie , Bryan Sean , Calabrese Erminia , Calafut Victoria , Calisse Paolo , Carron Julien , Challinor Anthony , Chesmore Grace , Chinone Yuji , Chluba Jens , Cho Hsiao-Mei Sherry , Choi Steve , Coppi Gabriele , Cothard Nicholas F. , Coughlin Kevin , Crichton Devin , Crowley Kevin D. , Crowley Kevin T. , Cukierman Ari , D'Ewart John M. , Dünner Rolando , de Haan Tijmen , Devlin Mark , Dicker Simon , Didier Joy , Dobbs Matt , Dober Bradley , Duell Cody J. , Duff Shannon , Duivenvoorden Adri , Dunkley Jo , Dusatko John , Errard Josquin , Fabbian Giulio , Feeney Stephen , Ferraro Simone , Fluxà Pedro , Freese Katherine , Frisch Josef C. , Frolov Andrei , Fuller George , Fuzia Brittany , Galitzki Nicholas , Gallardo Patricio A. , Ghersi Jose Tomas Galvez , Gao Jiansong , Gawiser Eric , Gerbino Martina , Gluscevic Vera , Goeckner-Wald Neil , Golec Joseph , Gordon Sam , Gralla Megan , Green Daniel , Grigorian Arpi , Groh John , Groppi Chris , Guan Yilun , Gudmundsson Jon E. , Han Dongwon , Hargrave Peter , Hasegawa Masaya , Hasselfield Matthew , Hattori Makoto , Haynes Victor , Hazumi Masashi , He Yizhou , Healy Erin , Henderson Shawn W. , Hervias-Caimapo Carlos , Hill Charles A. , Hill J. Colin , Hilton Gene , Hilton Matt , Hincks Adam D. , Hinshaw Gary , Hložek Renée , Ho Shirley , Ho Shuay-Pwu Patty , Howe Logan , Huang Zhiqi , Hubmayr Johannes , Huffenberger Kevin , Hughes John P. , Ijjas Anna , Ikape Margaret , Irwin Kent , Jaffe Andrew H. , Jain Bhuvnesh , Jeong Oliver , Kaneko Daisuke , Karpel Ethan D. , Katayama Nobuhiko , Keating Brian , Kernasovskiy Sarah S. , Keskitalo Reijo , Kisner Theodore , Kiuchi Kenji , Klein Jeff , Knowles Kenda , Koopman Brian , Kosowsky Arthur , Krachmalnicoff Nicoletta , Kuenstner Stephen E. , Kuo Chao-Lin , Kusaka Akito , Lashner Jacob , Lee Adrian , Lee Eunseong , Leon David , Leung Jason S.-Y. , Lewis Antony , Li Yaqiong , Li Zack , Limon Michele , Linder Eric , Lopez-Caraballo Carlos , Louis Thibaut , Lowry Lindsay , Lungu Marius , Madhavacheril Mathew , Mak Daisy , Maldonado Felipe , Mani Hamdi , Mates Ben , Matsuda Frederick , Maurin Loïc , Mauskopf Phil , May Andrew , McCallum Nialh , McKenney Chris , McMahon Jeff , Meerburg P. Daniel , Meyers Joel , Miller Amber , Mirmelstein Mark , Moodley Kavilan , Munchmeyer Moritz , Munson Charles , Naess Sigurd , Nati Federico , Navaroli Martin , Newburgh Laura , Nguyen Ho Nam , Niemack Michael , Nishino Haruki , Orlowski-Scherer John , Page Lyman , Partridge Bruce , Peloton Julien , Perrotta Francesca , Piccirillo Lucio , Pisano Giampaolo , Poletti Davide , Puddu Roberto , Puglisi Giuseppe , Raum Chris , Reichardt Christian L. , Remazeilles Mathieu , Rephaeli Yoel , Riechers Dominik , Rojas Felipe , Roy Anirban , Sadeh Sharon , Sakurai Yuki , Salatino Maria , Rao Mayuri Sathyanarayana , Schaan Emmanuel , Schmittfull Marcel , Sehgal Neelima , Seibert Joseph , Seljak Uros , Sherwin Blake , Shimon Meir , Sierra Carlos , Sievers Jonathan , Sikhosana Precious , Silva-Feaver Maximiliano , Simon Sara M. , Sinclair Adrian , Siritanasak Praween , Smith Kendrick , Smith Stephen R. , Spergel David , Staggs Suzanne T. , Stein George , Stevens Jason R. , Stompor Radek , Suzuki Aritoki , Tajima Osamu , Takakura Satoru , Teply Grant , Thomas Daniel B. , Thorne Ben , Thornton Robert , Trac Hy , Tsai Calvin , Tucker Carole , Ullom Joel , Vagnozzi Sunny , Engelen Alexander van , Lanen Jeff Van , Winkle Daniel D. Van , Vavagiakis Eve M. , Vergès Clara , Vissers Michael , Wagoner Kasey , Walker Samantha , Ward Jon , Westbrook Ben , Whitehorn Nathan , Williams Jason , Williams Joel , Wollack Edward J. , Xu Zhilei , Yu Byeonghee , Yu Cyndia , Zago Fernando , Zhang Hezi , Zhu Ningfeng ,   The Simons Observatory collaboration
Published: February 2019

The Simons Observatory (SO) is a new cosmic microwave background experiment being built on Cerro Toco in Chile, due to begin observations in the early 2020s. We describe the scientific goals of the experiment, motivate the design, and forecast its performance. SO will measure the temperature and polarization anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background in six frequency bands centered at: 27, 39, 93, 145, 225 and 280 GHz. The initial configuration of SO will have three small-aperture 0.5-m telescopes and one large-aperture 6-m telescope, with a total of 60,000 cryogenic bolometers. Our key science goals are to characterize the primordial perturbations, measure the number of relativistic species and the mass of neutrinos, test for deviations from a cosmological constant, improve our understanding of galaxy evolution, and constrain the duration of reionization. The small aperture telescopes will target the largest angular scales observable from Chile, mapping ≈ 10% of the sky to a white noise level of 2 μK-arcmin in combined 93 and 145 GHz bands, to measure the primordial tensor-to-scalar ratio,r, at a target level of σ(r)=0.003. The large aperture telescope will map ≈ 40% of the sky at arcminute angular resolution to an expected white noise level of 6 μK-arcmin in combined 93 and 145 GHz bands, overlapping with the majority of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope sky region and partially with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument. With up to an order of magnitude lower polarization noise than maps from thePlancksatellite, the high-resolution sky maps will constrain cosmological parameters derived from the damping tail, gravitational lensing of the microwave background, the primordial bispectrum, and the thermal and kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effects, and will aid in delensing the large-angle polarization signal to measure the tensor-to-scalar ratio. The survey will also provide a legacy catalog of 16,000 galaxy clusters and more than 20,000 extragalactic sources.