Panel Reports—New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics (2011)
Chapter: Summary Findings
Summary Findings
TABLE I Summary of Science Frontiers Panels’ Findings: Identification of Key Science Questions and Areas of Unusual Discovery Potential
|
Panel |
Science Questions |
Area(s) of Unusual Discovery Potential |
|
|
Cosmology and Fundamental Physics |
CFP 1 |
How did the universe begin? |
Gravitational wave astronomy |
|
CFP 2 |
Why is the universe accelerating? |
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CFP 3 |
What is dark matter? |
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|
CFP 4 |
What are the properties of neutrinos? |
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|
Galactic Neighborhood |
GAN 1 |
What are the flows of matter and energy in the circumgalactic medium? |
Time-domain astronomy, astrometry |
|
GAN 2 |
What controls the mass-energy-chemical cycles within galaxies? |
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|
GAN 3 |
What is the fossil record of galaxy assembly from the first stars to the present? |
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|
GAN 4 |
What are the connections between dark and luminous matter? |
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|
Galaxies Across Cosmic Time |
GCT 1 |
How do cosmic structures form and evolve? |
The epoch of reionization |
|
GCT 2 |
How do baryons cycle in and out of galaxies, and what do they do while they are there? |
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|
GCT 3 |
How do black holes grow, radiate, and influence their surroundings? |
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GCT 4 |
What were the first objects to light up the universe, and when did they do it? |
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Planetary Systems and Star Formation |
PSF 1 |
How do stars form? |
Identification and characterization of nearby habitable exoplanets |
|
PSF 2 |
How do circumstellar disks evolve and form planetary systems? |
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|
PSF 3 |
How diverse are planetary systems? |
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PSF 4 |
Do habitable worlds exist around other stars, and can we identify the telltale signs of life on an exoplanet? |
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|
Stars and Stellar Evolution |
SSE 1 |
How do rotation and magnetic fields affect stars? |
Time-domain surveys |
|
SSE 2 |
What are the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae and how do they explode? |
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|
SSE 3 |
How do the lives of massive stars end? |
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SSE 4 |
What controls the mass, radius, and spin of compact stellar remnants? |
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