Joint Survey Processing of LSST, Euclid and WFIRST: Enabling a broad array of astrophysics and cosmology through pixel level combinations of datasets

Abstract

Joint survey processing (JSP) is the pixel level combination of LSST, Euclid, and WFIRST datasets. By combining the high spatial resolution of the space-based datasets with deep, seeing-limited, ground-based images in the optical bands, systematics like source confusion and astrometric mismatch can be addressed to derive the highest precision optical/infrared photometric catalogs. This white paper highlights the scientific motivation, computational and algorithmic needs to build joint pixel level processing capabilities, which the individual projects by themselves will not be able to support. Through this white paper, we request that the Astro2020 decadal committee recognize the JSP effort as a multi-agency project with the natural outcome being a collaborative effort among groups which are normally supported by a single agency. JSP will allow the U.S. (and international) astronomical community to manipulate the flagship data sets and undertake innovative science investigations ranging from solar system object characterization, exoplanet detections, nearby galaxy rotation rates and dark matter properties, to epoch of reionization studies. It will also result in the ultimate constraints on cosmological parameters and the nature of dark energy, with far smaller uncertainties and a better handle on systematics than by any one survey alone.