Wide Field Astronomy in Canada

COVID-19 information for PI Residents and Visitors

Conference Date: 
Wednesday, October 10, 2018 (All day) to Friday, October 12, 2018 (All day)
Scientific Areas: 
Cosmology


Canada has great ambitions in the area of wide-field astronomical surveys, and a strong heritage. On the eve of the Canadian Long Range Plan 2020, this workshop brings together the Canadian wide field astronomy community to discuss our strategy, including possible areas of scientific and technical coordination. We will review existing and near-term surveys, on facilities including CFHT, MWA, CHIME, Dragonfly, Gaia, SDSS-V, DESI, Euclid, and LSST, as well as future projects like MSE and SKA1 on the ground and WFIRST and CASTOR in space. Invited talks will highlight areas of rapid expansion, including time domain astrophysics and radio surveys, as well as data archives and computing platforms like CADC, Canfar, and CIRADA that enable the exploitation of wide field and time-domain data by the community. Our activities aim to ensure that wide field and time-domain science emerge with strong support in LRP2020 and are able to attract significant funding.

Registration for this event is now closed.

This workshop is being held in partnership with the Dunlap Institute.

 

  • Jo Bovy, University of Toronto
  • Patrick Cote, National Research Council Canada
  • Ivana Damjanov, Saint Mary's University
  • Maria Drout, Dunlap Institute, University of Toronto
  • Michael Fich, University of Waterloo
  • Bryan Gaensler, Dunlap Institute, University of Toronto
  • Sarah Gallagher, University of Western Ontario
  • Patrick Hall, York University
  • Daryl Haggard, McGill University
  • Renée Hložek, Dunlap Institute, University of Toronto
  • Michael Hudson, University of Waterloo
  • Vicky Kaspi, McGill University
  • JJ Kavelaars, National Research Council Canada
  • Dustin Lang, Perimeter Institute
  • Alan McConnachieNational Research Council Canada, Herzberg
  • Laura Parker, McMaster University
  • Will Percival, Perimeter Institute & University of Waterloo
  • Samar Safi-Harb, University of Manitoba
  • Kendrick Smith, Perimeter Institute
  • Shriharsh Tendulkar, McGill University
  • Rob Thacker, Saint Mary's University
  • Kim Venn, University of Victoria
  • Michitoshi Yoshida, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
  • Niayesh Afshordi, Perimeter Institute & University of Waterloo
  • Waki Aoki, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
  • John Blakeslee, Gemini Observatory
  • Richard Bond, Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics
  • Toby Brown, McMaster University
  • Raymond Carlberg, University of Toronto
  • Dani Chao, Max Planck Institute for Astropyhsics
  • Michael Chapman, University of Waterloo
  • Robert Content, Macquarie University
  • Neal Dalal, Perimeter Institute
  • Daniel Devost, Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Corporation
  • James Di Francesco, National Research Council Canada
  • Sebastien, Fabbro, National Research Council of Canada, Herzberg
  • Job Feldbrugge, Perimeter Institute
  • Laura Ferrarese, National Research Council of Canada
  • Simon Foreman, Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics
  • Mark Gorski, University of Western Ontario
  • Melissa Graham, LSST & University of Washington
  • Elizabeth Griffin, National Research Council Canada
  • Stephen Gwyn, Canadian Astronomy Data Centre
  • David Hendel, University of Toronto
  • Goetz Hoeppe, University of Waterloo
  • Martin Houde, University of Western Ontario
  • Ikura Iwata, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
  • Matthew Johnson, Perimeter Institute & York University
  • Doug Johnstone, National Research Council Canada, Herzberg
  • Tadayuki Kodama, Tohoku University
  • Yusei Koyama, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
  • Michael Mazur, University of Western Ontario
  • Tristan Mills, University of Waterloo
  • Faizan Mohammad, University of Waterloo
  • Moritz Munchmeyer, Perimeter Institute
  • Adam Muzzin, York University
  • Blanka Nyiri, University of Waterloo
  • Andrej Obuljen, University of Waterloo
  • Nagayoshi Ohashi, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
  • Hadi Papei, University of Western Ontario
  • Emily Pass, University of Waterloo & University of Western Ontario
  • Christina Peters, Dunlap Institute, University of Toronto
  • Masoud Rafiei-Ravandi, Perimeter Institute
  • Mubdi Rahman, University of Toronto
  • Fereshteh Rajabi, University of Waterloo
  • Andrew Reeves, University of Waterloo
  • Marcin Sawicki, Saint Mary's University
  • Douglas Scott, University of British Columbia
  • Luc Simard, National Research Council Canada
  • Suresh Sivanadam, Dunlap Institute, University of Toronto
  • Sherry Suyu, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics & Technical University of Munich
  • Motohide Tamura, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
  • James Taylor, University of Waterloo
  • Kristi Webb, University of Waterloo
  • Tracy Webb, McGill University
  • Tony Willis, National Research Council of Canada
  • Yuan-Chuan Zou, Perimeter Institute

Schedule subject to change

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Time

Event

Location

8:00 – 8:25am

Registration

Reception

8:25 – 8:30am

Alan McConnachie, NRC, Herzberg
Welcome and Opening Remarks
What is the Point of this Meeting?

Theater

Session 1:  The Scientific Landscape
Chair: 
Michael Balough

8:30 – 8:45am

Ivana Damjanov, Saint Mary's University
Galaxy Evolution with Wide Field Surveys

Theater

8:45 – 9:00am

Samar Safi-Harb, University of Manitoba
High Energy and/or Supernova Surveys

Theater

9:00 – 9:15am

Kim Venn, University of Victoria
The Milky Way

Theater

9:15 – 9:30am

Laura Parker, McMaster University
Large Scale Structure Formation

Theater

9:30 – 9:45am

Simon Foreman, CITA
Cosmology

Theater

9:45 – 10:00am

Maria Drout, Dunlap Institute, University of Toronto
Gravitational wave survey follow-up

Theater

10:00 – 10:30am

Michael Balogh, University of Waterloo &
Doug Johnstone, NRC, Herzberg
Discussion
What are the science areas in which Canada can and should aim to take a national leadership role?
Given surveys with multiple scientific goals, do we need to specify?
Related: what are the benefits and disadvantages of having a national strategy?
How do we balance competition and cooperation?

Theater

10:30 – 11:00am

Coffee Break

Bistro – 1st Floor

Session 2:  Radio & Submm Facilities
Chair: 
Alan McConnachie

11:00 – 11:15am

Bryan Gaensler, Dunlap Institute, University of Toronto
SKA & Canada

Theater

11:15 – 11:30am

Douglas Scott, University of British Columbia
CMB

Theater

11:30 – 11:40am

Kendrick Smith, Perimeter Institute
CHIME

Theater

11:40 – 11:50am

Shriharsh Tendulkar, McGill University
CHIME FRB

Theater

11:50 – 12:00pm

Michael Fich, University of Waterloo
CCAT / CCAT-P

Theater

12:00 – 12:30pm

Bryan Gaensler, Dunlap Institute, University of Toronto &
Vicki Kaspi, McGill University
Discussion
(Radio/submm specific): 
What current activities and projects in Canada are good pathfinders for our future ambitions?
Is there a way to leverage these in order to better place ourselves in the future?
What are the key synergies between our radio and optical ambitions that we need to grow/strengthen?

Theater

12:30 – 2:00pm

Lunch

Bistro – 2nd Floor

2:00 – 3:30pm

Colloquium
Rob Thacker, Saint Mary's University
Canada and Wide Field Astronomy

Theater

3:30 – 4:00pm

Coffee Break

Bistro – 1st Floor

Session 3:  Ground-Based Optical Facilities I
Chair: 
Will Percival

4:00 – 4:15pm

John Blakeslee, Gemini Observatory & NRC, Herzberg
Gemini strategic planning in the context of wide field astronomy

Theater

4:15 – 4:30pm

Alan McConnachie, NRC, Herzberg
CFIS and CFHT wide field surveys

Theater

4:30 – 4:45pm

Renée Hlozek, Dunlap Institute, University of Toronto
LSST and Canada

Theater

4:45 – 5:15pm

Michael Hudson, University of Waterloo &
Adam Muzzin, York University
Discussion
(Optical specific):
What current activities and projects in Canada are good pathfinders for our future ambitions?
Is there a way to leverage these in order to better place ourselves in the future?
What suite of optical (and other) observatories (space and ground-based) will best support Canadian astronomers in the 2020s?
Do our current facilities have development plans that meet our expectations and goals?
If not, can such plans be created?

Theater

5:15 – 6:00pm

Daryl Haggard, McGill University
Will Percival, Perimeter Institute & University of Waterloo
1-slide rapid fire talks (send pdf to Daryl by 1pm)

Theater

6:00 – 6:30pm

Martin Houde, University of Western Ontario &
Tracy Webb, McGill University
Discussion
What is the development plan for wide field astronomy in Canada in the 2020s?
Can we describe the current and planned Canadian astronomy facilities as a coherent system?
What do we need to do to make this argument??
(Do we want to make this argument?!)

Theater

6:30 – 8:00pm

Wine & Cheese Reception

Bistro – 2nd Floor

 

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Time

Event

Location

Session 4:  Ground-Based Optical Facilities II
Chair:  Renée Hložek

8:30 – 8:45am

Jo Bovy, University of Toronto
SDSS and Future Spectroscopic Surveys

Theater

8:45 – 9:00am

Patrick Hall, York University
MSE

Theater

9:00 – 9:15am

Michitoshi Yoshida, NAOJ
Subaru and Canada

Theater

9:15 – 10:00am

Laura Ferrarese, NRC
Rob Thacker, Saint Mary's University
Discussion
How critical is it for Canada to assume a leadership role in wide field imaging/spectroscopy?
Would minor participation in existing and/or planned wide-field instruments/facilities be sufficient to meet the community’s immediate needs while at the same time ensuring its long term competitiveness?
What is the timescale on which access to wide-field capabilities needs to be secured?
What is the role of our current (CFHT, Gemini North and Gemini South) and future (TMT) optical facilities in enabling and/or supporting wide field imaging/spectroscopy?
Allowing for the possibility of future developments, can they be made to meet the demand?
How widespread is the community's interest in time-domain science (e.g. follow-up of LSST, SKA, LIGO/VIRGO, ZTF, etc. triggers)?
Are we well positioned to meet the community’s demands in this area and if not, what capabilities need to be developed?

Theater

10:00 – 10:30am

Coffee Break

Bistro – 1st Floor

Session 5:  Space
Chair: 
Daryl Haggard

10:30 – 10:45am

Sarah Gallagher, University of Western Ontario
Space ambitions and planning

Theater

10:45 – 10:55am

Patrick Cote, NRC
Castor

Theater

10:55 – 11:05am

Will Percival, Perimeter Institute & University of Waterloo
Euclid

Theater

11:05 – 11:15am

Michael Hudson, University of Waterloo
WFIRST/space synergies

Theater

11:15 – 11:35am

Robert Content, Macquarie University
ATLAS

Theater

11:35 – 12:30pm

Sarah Gallagher, University of Western Ontario &
Daryl Haggard, McGill University
Discussion
How can we best leverage our leadership in ground-based astronomy to take advantage of the limited opportunities available to participate in international space missions?
What future missions should Canada engage with, and how?

Theater

12:30 – 2:00pm

Lunch

Bistro – 2nd Floor

Session 6:  Data and Cyber Infrastructure for Surveys

2:00 – 2:15pm

Dustin Lang, Perimeter Institute 
Mining survey data archives

Theater

2:15 – 2:30pm

JJ Kavelaars, NRC
CADC developments

Theater

2:30 – 2:45pm

Elizabeth Griffin, NRC
Legacy Data

Theater

2:45 – 3:30pm

JJ Kavelaars, NRC
Discussion
Can innovative data mining and exploitation provide a way for Canada to impact survey astronomy, and in particular how can we build on the past successes of CADC and the new CIRADA?

Theater

3:30 – 4:00pm

Coffee Break

Bistro – 1st Floor

Session 7:  MSE

4:00 -4:10pm

Alan McConnachie, NRC Herzberg
MSE Science Planning & Promotion

Theater

4:10m – 4:20pm

Kim Venn, University of Victoria
WFMOS Development Funding Avenues in Canada

Theater

4:20 – 4:30pm

Patrick Hall, York University
MSE Partnership and Contingency Planning

Theater

4:43 – 5:10pm

Discussion

Theater

5:10 – 6:00pm

Renée Hlozek, Dunlap Institute, University of Toronto &
Will Percival, Perimeter Institute & University of Waterloo
Workshop Wrap-Up / Summaries
Conclusions and white paper preparation
If resources could only be found to join one additional ground-based project or observatory at the national level, what should it be? 
What are the criteria for identifying the most important national projects?

Theater

 

Friday, October 12, 2018

Time

Event

Location

Session 8:  Subaru

8:30 – 9:00am

Nagayoshi Ohashi, NAOJ
Partnership Opportunities

Theater

9:00 – 9:15am

Tadayuki Kodama, Tokyo University
Galaxy Clusters

Theater

9:15 – 9:30am

Marcin Sawicki, Saint Mary's University
CLAUDS

Theater

9:30 – 9:45am

Ikuru Iwata, NAOJ
High redshift

Theater

9:45 – 10:00am

Michael Balogh, University of Waterloo
Subaru and GOGREEN

Theater

10:00 – 10:30pm

Coffee Break

Bistro – 1st Floor

10:30 – 10:45am

Vicki Kaspi, McGill University
Subaru and FRB

Theater

10:45 – 11:00am

JJ Kavelaars, NRC
Time domain

Theater

11:00 – 11:15am

Wako Aoki, NAOJ
GA

Theater

11:15 – 11:30am

Motohide Tamura, NAOJ
Exoplanets

Theater

11:30 – 11:45am

Yusei Koyama, NAOJ
ULTIMATE

Theater

11:45am – 12:30pm

Discussion

Theater

12:30 – 2:00pm

Lunch

Bistro – 2nd Floor

Session 9:  LSST

2:00 – 2:15pm

Renée Hlozek, Dunlap Institute, University of Toronto
Overview of LSST Canada

Theater

2:15 – 2:30pm

Melissa Graham, LSST & University of Washington
Overview of LSST project interaction

Theater

2:30 – 3:00pm

Working Groups

Theater

3:00 – 3:30pm

Coffee Break

Bistro – 1st Floor

3:30 – 4:30pm

Discussion

Theater

4:30 – 4:45pm

Wrap Up & Good-Bye

Theater

 

 

 

Scientific Organizers:

  • Michael Balogh, University of Waterloo
  • Daryl Haggard, McGill University
  • Renée Hložek, Dunlap Institute, University of Toronto
  • Alan McConnachie, National Research Council Canada, Herzberg
  • Will Percival, Perimeter Institute & University of Waterloo