Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI)

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The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI)

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) will measure the effect of dark energy on the expansion of the universe. It will obtain optical spectra for tens of millions of galaxies and quasars, constructing a 3D map spanning the nearby universe to 11 billion light years.

The DESI Survey is being conducted on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. DESI is supported by the Department of Energy Office of Science to perform this Stage IV dark energy measurement using baryon acoustic oscillations and other techniques that rely on spectroscopic measurements.

CosmoPalooza webinars are now available!

Held on January 12-13, 2022, CosmoPalooza resurrected the special sessions originally planned for the AAS 239th meeting by CMB-S4, DESI, the Dark Energy Survey, and the LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration.
Each group presented its latest developments, plans, and science advances. Watch the sessions here.

"Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Creates Largest 3D Map of the Cosmos.

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has capped off the first seven months of its survey run by smashing through all previous records for three-dimensional galaxy surveys, creating the largest and most detailed map of the universe ever."
See the Press Release from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
DESI Science
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Highlights

DESI Begins

Announcements

One Year and 12.8 Million Galaxy Redshifts

David Schlegel, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory May 14, 2022 In its first year of survey operations, DESI has dwarfed all prior redshifts surveys by mapping 12.8 million unique galaxies and quasars. One-quarter of those are at redshifts greater than 1.0. Exactly one year ago, DESI began its five-year survey with over 100 DESI scientists on […]

DESI on a T-shirt (and stickers of course!)

Claire Lamman, Harvard University February 28, 2022 We all know the recipe for a great scientific collaboration: novel technology, topical science goals, and cool stickers. In November 2021 we achieved the final ingredient with the launch of our official DESI Swag Shop. The DESI shop is hosted on the third-party site Redbubble. This is a […]

Selecting Targets for the DESI Survey

Edmond Chaussidon, CEA Saclay January 12, 2022 Although DESI will be able to collect 5,000 spectra simultaneously, galaxies are still too numerous to be all observed during the next five years of observation. Target Selection (TS) is a crucial step to identify which objects to observe during the spectroscopic survey. To constrain the cosmic expansion […]

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