From: Saul Perlmutter (saul@lbl.gov)
Date: Thu Jan 26 2006 - 13:10:09 PST
Our Cycle 14 program has now proven a new extremely efficient approach
to obtain z>1 dust-free Type Ia supernovae, and we here propose to
capitalize on this new technique . We will collect a total sample of
~20 z>1 SNe Ia in cluster ellipticals, yielding dark energy measurements
that do not suffer from the major systematic uncertainty at these
redshifts, that of the extinction correction with a prior. By targeting
massive galaxy clusters at z>1, we obtain a five-times [CHECK] higher
efficiency in detection of Type Ia supernovae in elliptical galaxies,
and provide a well-understood host galaxy environment. These same deep
cluster images then also yield fundamental calibrations required for
future weak lensing and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich measurements of dark energy,
as well as an entire program of cluster studies. The data will make
possible a factor of two improvement on supernova constraints on dark
energy time variation, and much larger improvement in systematic
uncertainty, taking advantage of the uniquely well-controlled host
environment that clusters provide. They will provide both a cluster
dataset and a SN Ia data set that will be a longstanding scientific
resource.
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