We present optical light curves, redshifts, and classifications for 365 spectroscopically confirmed Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) discovered by the Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) Medium Deep Survey. We detail improvements to the PS1 SN photometry, astrometry and calibration that reduce the systematic uncertainties in the PS1 SN Ia distances. We combine the subset of 279 PS1 SN Ia ($0.03 < z < 0.68$) with useful distance estimates of SN Ia from SDSS, SNLS, various low-z and HST samples to form the largest combined sample of SN Ia consisting of a total of 1048 SN Ia ranging from $0.01 < z < 2.3$, which we call the `Pantheon Sample'. When combining Planck 2015 CMB measurements with the Pantheon SN sample, we find $\Omega_m=0.307\pm0.012$ and $w = -1.026\pm0.041$ for the wCDM model. When the SN and CMB constraints are combined with constraints from BAO and local H0 measurements, the analysis yields the most precise measurement of dark energy to date: $w0 = -1.007\pm 0.089$ and $wa = -0.222 \pm0.407$ for the w0waCDM model. Tension with a cosmological constant previously seen in an analysis of PS1 and low-z SNe has diminished after an increase of $2\times$ in the statistics of the PS1 sample, improved calibration and photometry, and stricter light-curve quality cuts. We find the systematic uncertainties in our measurements of dark energy are almost as large as the statistical uncertainties, primarily due to limitations of modeling the low-redshift sample. This must be addressed for future progress in using SN Ia to measure dark energy.

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The Complete Light-curve Sample of Spectroscopically Confirmed Type Ia Supernovae from Pan-STARRS1 and Cosmological Constraints from The Combined Pantheon Sample

DESI (Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument) is a Stage IV ground-based dark energy experiment that will study baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) and the growth of structure through redshift-space distortions with a wide-area galaxy and quasar redshift survey. To trace the underlying dark matter distribution, spectroscopic targets will be selected in four classes from imaging data. We will measure luminous red galaxies up to $z=1.0$. To probe the Universe out to even higher redshift, DESI will target bright [O II] emission line galaxies up to $z=1.7$. Quasars will be targeted both as direct tracers of the underlying dark matter distribution and, at higher redshifts ($ 2.1 < z < 3.5$), for the Ly-$\alpha$ forest absorption features in their spectra, which will be used to trace the distribution of neutral hydrogen. When moonlight prevents efficient observations of the faint targets of the baseline survey, DESI will conduct a magnitude-limited Bright Galaxy Survey comprising approximately 10 million galaxies with a median $z\approx 0.2$. In total, more than 30 million galaxy and quasar redshifts will be obtained to measure the BAO feature and determine the matter power spectrum, including redshift space distortions.

The DESI Experiment Part I: Science,Targeting, and Survey Design

Deriving the expansion history of the Universe is a major goal of modern cosmology. To date, the most accurate measurements have been obtained with Type Ia Supernovae (SNe) and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), providing evidence for the existence of a transition epoch at which the expansion rate changes from decelerated to accelerated. However, these results have been obtained within the framework of specific cosmological models that must be implicitly or explicitly assumed in the measurement. It is therefore crucial to obtain measurements of the accelerated expansion of the Universe independently of assumptions on cosmological models. Here we exploit the unprecedented statistics provided by the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS, [1-3]) Data Release 9 to provide new constraints on the Hubble parameter H(z) using the cosmic chronometers approach. We extract a sample of more than 130000 of the most massive and passively evolving galaxies, obtaining five new cosmology-independent H(z) measurements in the redshift range 0.3 < z < 0.5, with an accuracy of ~11–16% incorporating both statistical and systematic errors. Once combined, these measurements yield a 6% accuracy constraint of H(z = 0.4293) = 91.8 ± 5.3 km/s/Mpc. The new data are crucial to provide the first cosmology-independent determination of the transition redshift at high statistical significance, measuring zt = 0.4 ± 0.1, and to significantly disfavor the null hypothesis of no transition between decelerated and accelerated expansion at 99.9% confidence level. This analysis highlights the wide potential of the cosmic chronometers approach: it permits to derive constraints on the expansion history of the Universe with results competitive with standard probes, and most importantly, being the estimates independent of the cosmological model, it can constrain cosmologies beyond—and including—the ΛCDM model.

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A 6% measurement of the Hubble parameter at z∼0.45: direct evidence of the epoch of cosmic re-acceleration

Deriving the expansion history of the Universe is a major goal of modern cosmology. To date, the most accurate measurements have been obtained with Type Ia Supernovae and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations, providing evidence for the existence of a transition epoch at which the expansion rate changes from decelerated to accelerated. However, these results have been obtained within the framework of specific cosmological models that must be implicitly or explicitly assumed in the measurement. It is therefore crucial to obtain measurements of the accelerated expansion of the Universe independently of assumptions on cosmological models. Here we exploit the unprecedented statistics provided by the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) Data Release 9 to provide new constraints on the Hubble parameter $H(z)$ using the em cosmic chronometers approach. We extract a sample of more than 130000 of the most massive and passively evolving galaxies, obtaining five new cosmology-independent $H(z)$ measurements in the redshift range $0.3<z<0.5$, with an accuracy of $\sim$11-16\% incorporating both statistical and systematic errors. Once combined, these measurements yield a 6\% accuracy constraint of $H(z=0.4293)=91.8\pm5.3$ km/s/Mpc. The new data are crucial to provide the first cosmology-independent determination of the transition redshift at high statistical significance, measuring $z_{t}=0.4\pm0.1$, and to significantly disfavor the null hypothesis of no transition between decelerated and accelerated expansion at 99.9\% confidence level. This analysis highlights the wide potential of the cosmic chronometers approach: it permits to derive constraints on the expansion history of the Universe with results competitive with standard probes, and most importantly, being the estimates independent of the cosmological model, it can constrain cosmologies beyond -and including- the $\Lambda$CDM model.

A 6% measurement of the Hubble parameter at $z\sim0.45$: direct evidence of the epoch of cosmic re-acceleration

One of the most compelling tasks of modern cosmology is to constrain the expansion history of the Universe, since this measurement can give insights on the nature of dark energy and help to estimate cosmological parameters. In this letter are presented two new measurements of the Hubble parameter H(z) obtained with the cosmic chronometer method up to z ∼ 2. Taking advantage of near-infrared spectroscopy of the few very massive and passive galaxies observed at z > 1.4 available in literature, the differential evolution of this population is estimated and calibrated with different stellar population synthesis models to constrain H(z), including in the final error budget all possible sources of systematic uncertainties (star formation history, stellar metallicity, model dependences). This analysis is able to extend significantly the redshift range coverage with respect to present-day constraints, crossing for the first time the limit at z ∼ 1.75. The new H(z) data are used to estimate the gain in accuracy on cosmological parameters with respect to previous measurements in two cosmological models, finding a small but detectable improvement (∼5 per cent) in particular on Ω_M and w_0. Finally, a simulation of a Euclid-like survey has been performed to forecast the expected improvement with future data. The provided constraints have been obtained just with the cosmic chronometers approach, without any additional data, and the results show the high potentiality of this method to constrain the expansion history of the Universe at these redshifts.

Raising the bar: new constraints on the Hubble parameter with cosmic chronometers at z ∼ 2

This report describes the 2014 study by the Science Definition Team (SDT) of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) mission. It is a space observatory that will address the most compelling scientific problems in dark energy, exoplanets and general astrophysics using a 2.4-m telescope with a wide-field infrared instrument and an optical coronagraph. The Astro2010 Decadal Survey recommended a Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope as its top priority for a new large space mission. As conceived by the decadal survey,
WFIRST would carry out a dark energy science program, a microlensing program to
determine the demographics of exoplanets, and a general observing program
utilizing its ultra wide field. In October 2012, NASA chartered a Science
Definition Team (SDT) to produce, in collaboration with the WFIRST Study Office
at GSFC and the Program Office at JPL, a Design Reference Mission (DRM) for an
implementation of WFIRST using one of the 2.4-m, Hubble-quality telescope
assemblies recently made available to NASA. This DRM builds on the work of the
earlier WFIRST SDT, reported by Green et al. (2012) and the previous WFIRST-2.4
DRM, reported by Spergel et. (2013). The 2.4-m primary mirror enables a mission
with greater sensitivity and higher angular resolution than the 1.3-m and 1.1-m
designs considered previously, increasing both the science return of the
primary surveys and the capabilities of WFIRST as a Guest Observer facility.
The addition of an on-axis coronagraphic instrument to the baseline design
enables imaging and spectroscopic studies of planets around nearby stars.

T. Yamada

Papers

Wide-Field InfrarRed Survey Telescope-Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets WFIRST-AFTA 2015 Report