The Simons Observatory
The Simons Observatory
The Simons Observatory (SO) is an experimental cosmology facility that will provide scientists with an unprecedented platform to study the nature of the fundamental physical processes that governed the origin and evolution of the Universe via high-precision measurements of the temperature and polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background – the oldest light in the Universe.
Located at an elevation of 5190 meters on Cerro Toco in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile, an hour from the town of San Pedro de Atacama, SO currently consists of three 0.5 meter diameter Small Aperture Telescopes (SATs), and one six-meter diameter Large Aperture Telescope (LAT). In the coming years, collaborators from the United Kingdom will add two more SATs (in a project called SO:UK) and Japanese collaborators will add a sixth SAT (in a project called SO:JP).
The Simons Observatory builds on decades of support and investment in pathfinding experimental cosmology instrumentation and science infrastructure by the National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF’s support has allowed for an expansion of our understanding of the Cosmic Microwave Background, development of state-of-the-art instrumentation and analysis techniques, and release of groundbreaking science results to the public. Pathfinder experiments that led the way to the Simons Observatory on Cerro Toco over nearly three decades, include the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), Simons Array/PolarBear, Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS), MAT/TOCO, and the Atacama B-mode Search (ABS).
Moreover, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded initiative – the Advanced Simons Observatory (ASO) – is underway to maximize the capabilities of the LAT, develop enhanced data management, and install a new photovoltaic power plant to ensure the SO site energy security. As such, the Simons Observatory is a powerful example of successful scientific public private partnership between the Simons Foundation and the National Science Foundation. SO has benefited from the contributions of more than 350 physicists, engineers, and technologists from more than 50 institutions around the world.
The SO Project has been made possible with generous support from the Simons Foundation (Simons Foundation, Award #457687, B.K.), the Heising-Simons Foundation, the National Science Foundation (ASO), the governments of the United Kingdom (UK Research and Innovation – UKRI) and Japan (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science – JSPS) (for SO:UK and SO:JP, respectively), the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, University of Chicago, University of California at San Diego, the University of California at Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and other participating institutions.
The Simons Observatory operates in Chile thanks to an agreement with the Universidad de Chile, and is grateful for the support it has received from colleagues there and at other Chilean academic institutions and from Chilean national authorities including the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation, and the Parque Astronomico de Atacama (PAA), within which the SO project is graciously hosted. The PAA is a site specifically designed for the development of astronomical projects. Moreover, given the extensive evidence of ancestral history in the Chilean Altiplano, the Simons Observatory has conducted detailed flora, fauna, and archaeological studies in consultation with Chilean government authorities to ensure that no harm is done to the cultural and environmental heritage of the site.
Who are Jim and Marilyn Simons?
Jim (1938-2024) and Marilyn Simons are two of the most influential figures in philanthropy. Through the Simons Foundation in New York City, they have funded thousands of top researchers in the basic sciences and mathematics.
Jim Simons (1938-2024), began his professional career as a mathematician, later becoming a codebreaker during the Vietnam War. From there, he went on to a distinguished career in academics, and later founded Renaissance Technologies, a hedge fund that pioneered algorithmic trading. Jim was a firm believer in the power of mathematics to uncover fundamental truths in science – and in the financial markets
Jim and Marilyn devoted large parts of their wealth to philanthropy, investing it back into science, with an eye to helping all of society. Through the Simons Foundation, they have funded groundbreaking research in mathematics, physics, life science, neuroscience, autism science and data science.
The Simons’ commitment to basic science includes creating opportunities for young scientists and students to push the boundaries of knowledge. As founders of Math for America, they have worked to improve STEM education across the country by ensuring that talented educators remain in the public schools, teaching and inspiring the next generation of problem solvers.
Jim and Marilyn’s philanthropic efforts will continue to shape future discoveries, and their impact on basic science and the scientific community is already immeasurable.
More information is available at the Simons Foundation website.