Speaker: Amanda Wasserman
Date/Time: July 11, 2025 / 12 noon central.
Location: NCSA 1040
Zoom: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/82318062756?pwd=M3g1MFF6cytsOWFEbmU0UW1XWVoxQT09
Title: The Vera Rubin Observatory LSST Recommendation System for Spectroscopic Follow-up (RESSPECT)
Abstract: The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) will observe over 10^6 transients per year, increasing the number of yearly discovered transients by a factor of 100. Spectroscopy is essential for probing supernova progenitor physics and accurately estimating cosmological parameters, along with gaining information on many other open questions in astronomy. However, spectroscopic resources are scarce, an expected <1% will be followed up. Due to the incoming immense quantity of transient sources, we need an automated system to sort through the millions of Rubin supernovae and prioritize the most scientifically interesting for follow-up.
To maximize the SNe Ia used in a cosmology analysis, we must create a photometrically classified sample of SNe Ia, but this process is imperfect and allows contamination particularly from SNe Ib/c and SNe II. We will create an ideal, representative transient training set through active learning to obtain a pure sample of SNe Ia. We will spectroscopically observe and classify the hardest to photometrically label objects, adding these objects to our training set ensuring AI algorithms have an easier time classifying similar light curves going forward. We implement the automated system, the Recommendation System for Spectroscopic Follow-up (RESSPECT) to sort through the millions of Rubin SNe and prioritize the most cosmologically useful for followup. Preliminary results using the simulated ELAsTiCC dataset show that SNe Ia photometrically classified using a RESSPECT chosen training set leads to tighter constraints on w_0 and w_a.
Type Ia cosmology is just one module of the LSST Spectroscopic recommendation system, this module can be specified for a user’s specific science case. Anomaly detection is the second metric currently integrated into the RESSPECT pipeline, and I will illustrate how a user can add their own custom metrics to find the objects they care most about. Recommendations from the pipeline can be submitted to the DESC Target and Observation Manager which will enable coordination with various spectroscopic telescopes.