Precision cosmology with Planck, Quijote and SDSS

In force date
Call year
2014
Investigator
José Alberto
Rubiño Martín
Amount granted to the IAC Consortium
370.260,00 €
Description

The main goal of this project is to ensure the scientific exploitation of the experiments, missions and surveys in which the Cosmology group at the IAC is involved in the period 2015-2017: PLANCK, QUIJOTE and SDSS (BOSS and eBOSS). The specific goals of this project are:
I) To continue the scientific exploitation of the PLANCK mission during the proprietary data period, according to the right acquired by the IAC in return to the contribution of the REBA/LFI to the payload of this satellite. In particular, we will participate in the PLANCK science working groups, with special emphasis on the study of the polarization properties, and leading the activities related to the study of secondary anisotropies and the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect. 
II) To carry out the operation and scientific exploitation of the QUIJOTE experiment. QUIJOTE consists of two telescopes (QT1 and QT2) and three instruments (MFI, TGI and FGI). Both the QT1 and MFI are in operation since November 2012. The commissioning phase of QT2 and TGI will happen in late 2014. In combination with the PLANCK data, we will study the implications on the CMB polarization anisotropies (E and B modes), the inflationary epoch and primordial gravitational waves. We also plan for an upgrade of the MFI instrument, to guarantee that the scientific objectives will be achieved in a competitive time scale. 
III) To carry out the scientific exploitation of two SDSS surveys: BOSS and eBOSS. This activity includes the continuation of our work in the theory of large scale structure, but also the development of algorithms for the characterization of the clustering properties of the galaxies, the cross-correlation of CMB data with LSS surveys, and for the identification of galaxy clusters in photometric or spectroscopic surveys. 
IV) To lead the optical follow-up efforts to characterise the catalogue of Sunyaev-Zeldovich sources detected by PLANCK, by identifying the galaxy cluster counterparts and measuring their redshifts. To this end, we will carry out the scientific exploitation of the ITP13-8 programme (PI: J.A.Rubiño), with more than 80 observing nights in ORM telescopes (GTC, WHT, TNG and INT). We will use the final catalogue to characterize the evolution of the cluster mass function n(M,z), and to establish the implications in the determination of key cosmological parameters as the dark energy equation of state and the neutrino masses. 
V) To combine the information contained in the previous (and unique) three cosmological probes: CMB, LSS and galaxy clusters. To provide the best possible constraints on inflation and primordial gravitational waves, the dark matter and the dynamical properties of the dark energy, and the properties of the neutrinos (masses and relativistic degrees of freedom).