Cosmic acceleration describes the observation that the Universe is expanding at an increasing rate. Understanding the underlying cause of cosmic acceleration is one of the great problems in physics and is being observationally probed by large cosmological surveys. In particular, spectroscopic galaxy surveys like the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS, ongoing) and the future Mid Scale-Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (MS-DESI) are characterized by high precision and exquisite levels of control over systematic errors. Large-scale simulations tuned to the requirements of these surveys are essential for extracting the science contained within the observations. Simulations also establish the robustness of the results obtained and serve as a defense mechanism against systematic uncertainties.

This project will carry out a large set of N-body simulations optimally designed in their size, resolution, and throughput, to further BOSS science goals. The simulation results will be an unprecedented resource for BOSS and will lead to major advances in three directions (i) control of systematic effects in baryon acoustic oscillation measurements, (ii) enabling new approaches to covariance matrices, and (iii) calibrating redshift (distant) space distortions as a dark energy and modified gravity probe for BOSS. The outcome of this research will be to enhance interpretation of BOSS survey data and further theoretical understanding of cosmic acceleration.