Request for Information on High-Energy Physics & Space-Based Astrophysics

This post is adapted from an announcement in the Federal Register:

The Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of High Energy Physics (HEP), along with NASA's Astrophysics Division (APD) and Biological and Physical Sciences Division (BPS), are requesting input from the AAS community and other interested parties.

They seek information on topics that provide mutually beneficial collaborative activities that can further scientific advances in specific, focused areas in the fields of high-energy physics and space-based astrophysics aligned with the science goals of the program offices:

1. The radio-quiet environment of the Moon's far side offers the potential for deployment of sensitive radio telescopes or sensors to explore the early eras of the universe or to test the standard cosmological model.
2. The International Space Station (ISS) provides a unique platform for space-based probes of fundamental physics in a microgravity environment.
3. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and the European Space Agency's Euclid mission will advance studies of the nature of dark energy.

The information you provide will inform the HEP, APD, and BPS program offices on potential partnerships and collaborative activities worth pursuing in these three areas.

As additional opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration between the parties continue to emerge, requests for information on other topics may be released. Individuals or collaborations are welcome to respond.

Written comments and information are requested no later than 8 March 2021.