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| SDSS BOSS | |
|---|---|
| Name | SDSS BOSS |
| Caption | Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey |
| Established | 2009 |
| Completed | 2014 |
| Location | Apache Point Observatory |
| Type | Astronomical survey |
SDSS BOSS
The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey was a major astronomical spectroscopic campaign conducted as part of the broader Sloan Digital Sky Survey program. It targeted millions of extragalactic sources to measure large-scale structure and baryon acoustic oscillations, linking precision measurements to models tested by contemporary missions and facilities. BOSS data underpinned comparisons with results from other projects and institutions in observational cosmology.
BOSS aimed to map the three-dimensional distribution of galaxies and quasars to measure the Baryon acoustic oscillation feature and constrain parameters related to Dark energy, Dark matter, Hubble constant, and the Cosmic microwave background. The survey strategy connected observational goals with theoretical frameworks developed by researchers associated with Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, Planck (spacecraft), WMAP Science Team, and groups at Princeton University and Harvard University. BOSS observations complemented efforts by facilities such as Hubble Space Telescope, Keck Observatory, Very Large Telescope, and projects including Dark Energy Survey, Euclid (spacecraft), and WFIRST.
BOSS reused and upgraded hardware at Apache Point Observatory to increase multiplexing and spectral resolution, building on instruments developed for the original SDSS, with collaboration from teams at University of Washington, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The spectrographs were optimized for targets selected from imaging produced by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey imaging cameras and catalogs maintained by groups at University of Chicago and NYU (New York University). Fiber-optic systems and plate drilling operations involved vendors and engineering partners including those at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory and NOIRLab. Survey design integrated target selection algorithms informed by work at University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, and Carnegie Mellon University to optimize sampling across the redshift range probed by BOSS.
Observing runs were scheduled at Apache Point Observatory under management by the Astrophysical Research Consortium, with nights coordinated alongside other programs supported by National Science Foundation grants administered through institutions such as University of Arizona and Rutgers University. Raw spectra were reduced using pipelines derived from software developed at Princeton University and enhanced by collaborators at University of Utah and University of Portsmouth. Data processing included redshift fitting, sky subtraction, and coaddition with contributions from teams at Institute for Advanced Study, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, and Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics. BOSS public data releases were integrated into archives maintained by Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and mirrored at centers like Space Telescope Science Institute and Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg.
BOSS produced precision measurements of the Baryon acoustic oscillation scale, improved constraints on the Hubble constant, and provided data critical to tests of General relativity on cosmological scales, influencing analyses by researchers affiliated with Columbia University, University of Cambridge, and University of Oxford. The survey enabled large samples for studies of Quasars and the Lyman-alpha forest, impacting interpretations by teams at Institute for Astronomy, Cambridge, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, and Observatoire de Paris. Results were compared with theoretical predictions from groups at CERN, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, and Perimeter Institute. BOSS catalogs supported investigations into galaxy evolution, redshift-space distortions, and neutrino mass limits by scientists at California Institute of Technology, University of California, Santa Cruz, and University of Michigan.
The survey legacy includes public data products and software that seeded subsequent projects such as eBOSS, DESI, and influenced mission planning for Euclid (spacecraft) and Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. BOSS findings fed into combined analyses with Planck (spacecraft) and WMAP that refined cosmological parameter estimates used by consortia at Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Johns Hopkins University. The data have been cited in multi-survey meta-analyses with involvement from researchers at Imperial College London, Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, and ETH Zurich.
BOSS was carried out by an international collaboration including groups from University of Portsmouth, University of Utah, University of Tokyo, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, and many universities and laboratories across the United States and Europe. Funding sources included grants from the National Science Foundation, support from Department of Energy (United States), and institutional contributions from places like Princeton University and University of Chicago. Key milestones encompassed survey start in 2009, major data releases coordinated with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Collaboration governance, and completion of observations around 2014, with legacy analyses continuing into the era of successor surveys led by institutions such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Fermilab.
Category:Astronomical surveys