Disentangling the properties of matter and dark energy is one of the key problems of current astrophysics. This is the main objective of the Euclid mission, considered the most ambitious challenge of European astrophysics for the coming years. Euclid will make both photometric and spectroscopic surveys that will generate the largest and deepest maps of the Unverse ever obtained. They will allow tracing the distribution of light from galaxies, and the components of matter and dark energy at different epochs of the Universe. In addition, the expected sensitivity and angular coverage of the surveys conducted by Euclid will allow huge progress in many areas of astrophysics from the local to the very far Universe.
The aim of this proposal is to support the participation of the IAC and the UPCT in the mission, which implies important contributions to the Instrument Control Unit (ICU) of the infrared spectrograph (NISP), and to the scientific processing and exploitation of Euclid data. This participation is structured as follows:
-Contribution to the Euclid NISP payload: The UPCT / IAC consortium is responsible for the design, construction and validation of the control electronics of the operating modes of the NISP infrared instrument. In addition to the hardware, UPCT / IAC is also responsible for its boot software and software drivers. The project requests the necessary financing to guarantee the integration of the ICU FM (flight model) with the NISP instrument and the Euclid satellite, both of the hardware modules, as well as software, as well as the manufacture and validation of the flight spare model, agreed with the ESA and the Euclid consortium. As required by the ESA ECSS standard for missions such as Euclid, it is essential to have during the integration and maintenance phases until the end of the mission, the necessary tools and the team trained in such tools and with good knowledge of the ICU and its software.
-Contribution to data processing centers: This includes developing and implementing algorithms for: a/ cross-correlation of photometric / spectroscopic data of Euclid and external databases / catalogs, b/ measuring the degree of clustering of galaxies detected by Euclid in different spatial scales, c/ determine the properties of galaxies at high redshift by comparing the observed spectra with the predictions of the models, and d/ develop methods to characterize the morphology of the galaxies detected by Euclid. In addition, observational programs are being carried out with telescopes such as GTC that allow validating the photometric redshifts of an important part of the type of galaxies that Euclid will detect.
-Preparation for scientific exploitation: For an optimal exploitation, a previous work of simulations is necessary, the realization of dedicated surveys in ground based telescopes such as SHARKS in the near infrared, the development of algorithms of data analysis, etc. The scientific interests of the IAC and the UPCT is focused primarily on areas such as evolution of the large structures of the Universe (clusters and proto-clusters), galaxies at high redshift, determination of parameters and validation of cosmological models, test of the origin of diffuse bands molecular, etc. In each of these areas a work structure has been created that is integrated into the different groups in the Euclid consortium.
