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| BOSS (Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey) | |
|---|---|
| Name | BOSS (Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey) |
| Mission type | Astronomical survey |
| Operator | Sloan Digital Sky Survey |
BOSS (Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey) was a large-scale astronomical survey executed as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey program that mapped the three-dimensional distribution of galaxies and quasars to measure baryon acoustic oscillations at cosmological distances. It delivered precise redshift measurements across vast volumes of the Universe and supported constraints on models associated with dark energy, cosmic microwave background, and large-scale structure. The survey combined upgraded instrumentation, extensive target selection, and community data releases to influence contemporary observational cosmology and galaxy evolution studies.
BOSS operated within the framework of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III initiative and used the Apache Point Observatory 2.5-meter telescope to collect spectra for millions of targets including luminous red galaxies and high-redshift quasars. The program aimed to extend measurements made by predecessors such as the original Sloan Digital Sky Survey and to complement space missions like Planck, WMAP, and experiments including the Dark Energy Survey and Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey contemporaries. Its survey footprint overlapped regions studied by the Two Micron All Sky Survey and the Galaxy and Mass Assembly project while coordinating calibration with standards from the Hubble Space Telescope and photometry from instruments such as Pan-STARRS.
BOSS targeted the signature of baryon acoustic oscillations imprinted in the distribution of matter to provide a "standard ruler" for measuring the expansion history constrained by Lambda-CDM-inspired models and alternatives motivated by theories involving quintessence, modified gravity, or interactions in the dark sector. The goals included precise determination of the Hubble parameter H(z), angular diameter distances D_A(z), and tests of spatial curvature used in analyses alongside data from Type Ia supernovae samples like those from the Supernova Cosmology Project and the SCP Union compilations. Ancillary aims encompassed studies of galaxy clustering, redshift-space distortions relevant to Robertson–Walker metric interpretations, and the use of quasar absorption spectra to probe the intergalactic medium as studied previously by teams working on Keck Observatory and Very Large Telescope programs.
BOSS implemented an upgraded dual-beam spectrograph derived from the instruments used in earlier Sloan Digital Sky Survey epochs, increasing wavelength coverage and spectral resolution to measure redshifts for targets spanning z~0.2–0.7 for galaxies and z>2 for Lyman-alpha forest quasars. Observations utilized fiber-fed plates manufactured for the Apache Point Observatory 2.5-meter telescope and adopted target selection algorithms informed by photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey imaging pipeline and cross-matches with surveys including Galaxy Evolution Explorer, WISE, and UKIDSS. The cadence of observations, plate design, and calibration procedures referenced procedures established by groups affiliated with institutions such as Princeton University, University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Data reduction pipelines adapted from the SDSS spectroscopic software performed sky subtraction, wavelength calibration using comparison lamps, and redshift determination through template fitting with stellar and galaxy eigenspectra developed by teams at Harvard University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Yale University. Analysis incorporated statistical techniques including power spectrum estimation, correlation function measurements, and Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling used widely by collaborations like Planck Collaboration and theoretical inputs from groups at Institute for Advanced Study and Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge. Cross-correlation studies leveraged catalogs produced by the Two-Degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey and methods tested in the 2MASS Redshift Survey pipeline.
BOSS produced precise BAO distance measurements at multiple redshifts that tightened constraints on the equation-of-state parameter w and improved determinations of H0 when combined with Planck and WMAP data, helping to interrogate tensions with local measurements such as those by the SH0ES team. It delivered the largest samples of luminous red galaxies and Lyman-alpha forest spectra at the time, enabling measurements of the growth rate fσ8 and tests of gravity performed in analyses by groups at University of Portsmouth and Stanford University. BOSS results informed studies of galaxy formation using comparisons with simulations run on facilities like NERSC and projects from the Millennium Simulation consortium and influenced follow-up spectroscopy at observatories including Keck Observatory and Subaru Telescope.
The survey's public data releases enriched archival resources used by researchers at institutions such as Max Planck Society, European Southern Observatory, and CERN for cosmological parameter estimation, cross-survey synergies with Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, Euclid, and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (now Vera C. Rubin Observatory) planning, and community tools developed at centers like Space Telescope Science Institute. BOSS data underpins hundreds of peer-reviewed publications from collaborations involving Princeton University, Yale University, University of Tokyo, and international partners, and served as a foundation for successor surveys aimed at improving measurements of dark energy and large-scale structure.
The BOSS collaboration consisted of scientists drawn from universities and laboratories including Princeton University, University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, Yale University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, and many global partners, coordinated through the Sloan Digital Sky Survey management structure and steering committees. Organizational elements included working groups focused on target selection, spectrograph maintenance, data reduction, and scientific analysis, with contributions from personnel associated with programs at Fermilab, IN2P3, and national observatory systems. The collaborative model emphasized public data releases and community engagement analogous to practices at Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory projects.
Category:Astronomical surveys