Defining a Roman Galactic Plane Survey: Call for Community Input and Self Nominations

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, NASA's next flagship observatory, is planned for launch in late 2026. An Early-Definition Astrophysics Survey Assessment Committee composed of community members has recommended that a survey of the galactic plane with Roman be defined prior to launch through a community process. Accordingly, the Roman Space Telescope team requests the science community's participation in the community-led definition of a Roman Galactic Plane General Astrophysics Survey.

The work of crafting an observational strategy for a Roman Galactic Plane Survey of approximately 700 hours that maximizes its overall science return will be undertaken by a definition committee composed of members of the science community using community input into the science investigations the community wants to see enabled by Roman data of the galactic plane. There are no mission level science requirements on the Galactic Plane Survey, leaving the full parameter space available to define the observational strategies (filters, depth, cadence, etc.) in a way that will enable a broad range of astrophysical investigations.

We are seeking broader input into the range of science investigations the community would like to see enabled by this survey. We are simultaneously seeking to form a definition committee composed of members of the science community who represent the breadth of science the community wants to see enabled with the Galactic Plane Survey, and the diversity of the scientists who will ultimately use Roman’s datasets. We are thus requesting:

1. Community input into the definition of the Roman Galactic Plane Survey in the form of either short science pitches or more detailed white papers, requested by 20 May 2024; and
2. Self-nominations to serve on the definition committee for the Roman Galactic Plane Survey, also requested by 20 May 2024.

For context on how this call relates to previous calls, please see the FAQ section below.

All members of the community are encouraged to submit their science investigation ideas or self-nominate for the definition committee. The Roman Space Telescope team wants to hear from scientists worldwide across all career stages, positions, and types of institutions.

For full details and context on this call for input and self-nominations, as well as submission instructions, please visit:

https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/galactic_plane_survey_definition.html

For specific questions related to a submission, please email [email protected] with the subject line: “Roman Galactic Plane Survey.” This will send your question simultaneously to the help desks of both Roman Science Centers ([email protected] and [email protected]).

FAQ: How is this different than previous Roman white paper calls and requests for community input? 

The 2023 Roman calls for science pitches, white papers, and self-nominations were focused on Roman’s three Core Community Surveys. These were aimed specifically at obtaining broad community input into their definition and maximizing the science that can be accomplished with Roman’s Core Community Surveys.

The 2021 Roman white paper call for Early-Definition Astrophysics Surveys solicited comments on whether to pre-select and define a General Astrophysics Survey early, as well as outlines of survey concepts that would benefit from being selected and defined well before Roman's launch (e.g., to enable synergistic observations with other facilities). This resulted in a recommendation by the Early-Definition Astrophysics Survey Assessment Committee to undertake a community process to define a General Astrophysics Survey of the Galactic plane well before Roman’s launch. White papers submitted in response to the Early-Definition Astrophysics Survey call provided a compelling vision of the science that could be done with a Roman Galactic Plane Survey, and these will be provided to the committee chosen to define the survey.  

We are now soliciting broader community input into the definition of a Roman Galactic Plane Survey, in a manner analogous to that undertaken for Roman’s three Core Community Surveys. We anticipate that there are additional science investigations the community will want to undertake with the Galactic Plane Survey, beyond those included in the Early-Definition white papers. In addition, this current call provides an opportunity for providing the survey definition committee with more detailed and focused input into the observational strategies that will be important to enable specific science investigations with the Galactic Plane Survey, and figures of merit or metrics to assess different observational strategies. A broader view of the possible science investigations that could be enabled, as well as details of the observational strategies that will enable them, will be critical information for informing trades between different possible survey implementations.

FAQ: I have a science case I want to contribute but don’t have time to write a white paper by the deadline. What should I do?

Submit a science pitch! The science pitches are meant to provide a low-barrier way to communicate the science you are interested in pursuing with the Roman Galactic Plane Survey to the committee defining the survey. The associated questionnaire will enable you to provide information on the observational strategies that will enable your science at a level of detail of your choosing. Additionally, while submissions received by the requested deadline will have the greatest impact on the survey definition, we will continue to accept community input past the requested dates.