The SDSS-IV extended baryon oscillation spectroscopic survey: Overview and early data

Kyle S. Dawson, Jean Paul Kneib, Will J. Percival, Shadab Alam, Franco D. Albareti, Scott F. Anderson, Eric Armengaud, Éric Aubourg, Stephen Bailey, Julian E. Bautista, Andreas A. Berlind, Matthew A. Bershady, Florian Beutler, Dmitry Bizyaev, Michael R. Blanton, Michael Blomqvist, Adam S. Bolton, Jo Bovy, W. N. Brandt, Jon BrinkmannJoel R. Brownstein, Etienne Burtin, N. G. Busca, Zheng Cai, Chia Hsun Chuang, Nicolas Clerc, Johan Comparat, Frances Cope, Rupert A.C. Croft, Irene Cruz-Gonzalez, Luiz N. Da Costa, Marie Claude Cousinou, Jeremy Darling, Axel De La MacOrra, Sylvain De La Torre, Timothée Delubac, Hélion Du Mas Des Bourboux, Tom Dwelly, Anne Ealet, Daniel J. Eisenstein, Michael Eracleous, S. Escoffier, Xiaohui Fan, Alexis Finoguenov, Andreu Font-Ribera, Peter Frinchaboy, Patrick Gaulme, Antonis Georgakakis, Paul Green, Hong Guo, Julien Guy, Shirley Ho, Diana Holder, Joe Huehnerhoff, Timothy Hutchinson, Yipeng Jing, Eric Jullo, Vikrant Kamble, Karen Kinemuchi, David Kirkby, Francisco Shu Kitaura, Mark A. Klaene, Russ R. Laher, Dustin Lang, Pierre Laurent, Jean Marc Le Goff, Cheng Li, Yu Liang, Marcos Lima, Qiufan Lin, Weipeng Lin, Yen Ting Lin, Daniel C. Long, Britt Lundgren, Nicholas MacDonald, Marcio Antonio Geimba Maia, Elena Malanushenko, Viktor Malanushenko, Vivek Mariappan, Cameron K. McBride, Ian D. McGreer, Brice Ménard, Andrea Merloni, Andres Meza, Antonio D. Montero-Dorta, Demitri Muna, Adam D. Myers, Kirpal Nandra, Tracy Naugle, Jeffrey A. Newman, Pasquier Noterdaeme, Peter Nugent, Ricardo Ogando, Matthew D. Olmstead, Audrey Oravetz, Daniel J. Oravetz, Nikhil Padmanabhan, Nathalie Palanque-Delabrouille, Kaike Pan, John K. Parejko, Isabelle Pâris, John A. Peacock, Patrick Petitjean, Matthew M. Pieri, Alice Pisani, Francisco Prada, Abhishek Prakash, Anand Raichoor, Beth Reid, James Rich, Jethro Ridl, Sergio Rodriguez-Torres, Aurelio Carnero Rosell, Ashley J. Ross, Graziano Rossi, John Ruan, Mara Salvato, Conor Sayres, Donald P. Schneider, David J. Schlegel, Uros Seljak, Hee Jong Seo, Branimir Sesar, Sarah Shandera, Yiping Shu, Anže Slosar, Flavia Sobreira, Alina Streblyanska, Nao Suzuki, Donna Taylor, Charling Tao, Jeremy L. Tinker, Rita Tojeiro, Mariana Vargas-Magaña, Yuting Wang, Benjamin A. Weaver, David H. Weinberg, Martin White, W. M. Wood-Vasey, Christophe Yeche, Zhongxu Zhai, Cheng Zhao, Gong Bo Zhao, Zheng Zheng, Guangtun Ben Zhu, Hu Zou

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    In a six-year program started in 2014 July, the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) will conduct novel cosmological observations using the BOSS spectrograph at Apache Point Observatory. These observations will be conducted simultaneously with the Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey (TDSS) designed for variability studies and the Spectroscopic Identification of eROSITA Sources (SPIDERS) program designed for studies of X-ray sources. In particular, eBOSS will measure with percent-level precision the distance-redshift relation with baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) in the clustering of matter. eBOSS will use four different tracers of the underlying matter density field to vastly expand the volume covered by BOSS and map the large-scale-structures over the relatively unconstrained redshift range 0.6 < z < 2.2. Using more than 250,000 new, spectroscopically confirmed luminous red galaxies at a median redshift z = 0.72, we project that eBOSS will yield measurements of the angular diameter distance dA(z) to an accuracy of 1.2% and measurements of H(z) to 2.1% when combined with the z > 0.6 sample of BOSS galaxies. With ∼195,000 new emission line galaxy redshifts, we expect BAO measurements of dA(z) to an accuracy of 3.1% and H(z) to 4.7% at an effective redshift of z = 0.87. A sample of more than 500,000 spectroscopically confirmed quasars will provide the first BAO distance measurements over the redshift range 0.9 < z < 2.2, with expected precision of 2.8% and 4.2% on dA(z) and H(z), respectively. Finally, with 60,000 new quasars and re-observation of 60,000 BOSS quasars, we will obtain new Lyα forest measurements at redshifts z > 2.1; these new data will enhance the precision of dA(z) and H(z) at z > 2.1 by a factor of 1.44 relative to BOSS. Furthermore, eBOSS will provide improved tests of General Relativity on cosmological scales through redshift-space distortion measurements, improved tests for non-Gaussianity in the primordial density field, and new constraints on the summed mass of all neutrino species. Here, we provide an overview of the cosmological goals, spectroscopic target sample, demonstration of spectral quality from early data, and projected cosmological constraints from eBOSS.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Article number44
    JournalAstronomical Journal
    Volume151
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Feb 1 2016

    Keywords

    • cosmology: observations
    • surveys

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Astronomy and Astrophysics
    • Space and Planetary Science

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