Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDScience China Physics Mechanics and Astronomy
MUltiplexed Survey Telescope (MUST) science white paper I: Overview of large-scale structure cosmology in the era of Stage-V spectroscopic surveys
19 affiliations
- 1Department of Astronomy, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- 2Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200030, China
- 3Pengcheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518000, China
- 4Institute of Physics, Laboratory of Astrophysics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Observatoire de Sauverny, Versoix, CH-1290, Switzerland
- 5Zhili College, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- 6National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- 7Science Center for China Space Station Telescope, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- 8Department of Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
- 9Shanghai Key Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Shanghai, 200240, China
- 10Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- 11School of Physics and Astronomy, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China
- 12Chinese Academy of Sciences South America Center for Astronomy (CASSACA), National Astronomical Observatories of China, Beijing, 100101, China
- 13IRFU, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, F-91191, France
- 14IRFU - Institut de Recherches sur les lois Fondamentales de l'Univers (CEA Saclay F-91191 Gif sur Yvette cedex - France)
- 15Department of Scientific Research, Beijing Planetarium, Beijing, 100044, China
- 16Key Laboratory of Modern Astronomy and Astrophysics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
- 17School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
- 18Institute for Frontiers in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 102206, China
- 19School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
Abstract
The MUltiplexed Survey Telescope (MUST) is a 6.5-m telescope under development. Dedicated to highly-multiplexed, wide-field spectroscopic surveys, MUST observes over 20000 targets simultaneously using 6.2-mm pitch positioning robots within a ∼5 deg 2 field of view. MUST aims to conduct the first Stage-V spectroscopic survey in the 2030s, mapping the 3D Universe with over 100 million galaxies and quasars, spanning from the nearby Universe to a redshift of z ∼ 5.5, corresponding to approximately 1 billion years after the Big Bang. To cover this extensive redshift range, we present an initial conceptual target-selection algorithm for different types of galaxies, including local bright galaxies, luminous red galaxies, emission-line galaxies, and high-redshift (2 < z < 5.5) Lyman-break galaxies. Using Fisher forecasts, we demonstrate that MUST can address fundamental questions in cosmology, including the nature of dark energy, tests of gravity theories, and investigations into primordial physics. This is the first paper in a series of science white papers for MUST, with subsequent papers focusing on additional scientific cases, including galaxy and quasar evolution, Milky Way physics, and dynamic phenomena in the time-domain Universe.
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BibTeX
@article{zhao2026multiplexed,
title = {{MUltiplexed Survey Telescope (MUST) science white paper I: Overview of large-scale structure cosmology in the era of Stage-V spectroscopic surveys}},
author = {Cheng Zhao and Song Huang and Mengfan He and Paulo Montero-Camacho and Yu Liu and Pablo Renard and Yunyi Tang and Aurélien Verdier and Weiwei Xu and Xiaorui Yang and Jiaxi Yu and Yao Zhang and Siyi Zhao and Xingchen Zhou and Shengyu He and Jean‐Paul Kneib and Jiayi Li and Zhuoyang Li and Wen-Ting Wang and Zhong-zhi Xianyu A and Yidian Zhang and Rafaela Gsponer and Xiaodong Li and A. Rocher and Siwei Zou and Ting Tan and Zhiqi Huang and Zhuoxiao Wang and Pei Li and Maxime Rombach and Chenxing Dong and D. Forero-Sánchez and Yuanhang Ning and Huanyuan Shan and Tao Wang and Li Yin and Zhongxu Zhai and Yuting Wang and Gong‐Bo Zhao and Yong Shi and Shude Mao and Lei Huang and Liquan Guo and Zheng Cai},
journal = {Science China Physics Mechanics and Astronomy},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1007/s11433-026-2998-9},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s11433-026-2998-9},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - MUltiplexed Survey Telescope (MUST) science white paper I: Overview of large-scale structure cosmology in the era of Stage-V spectroscopic surveys
AU - Cheng Zhao
AU - Song Huang
AU - Mengfan He
AU - Paulo Montero-Camacho
AU - Yu Liu
AU - Pablo Renard
AU - Yunyi Tang
AU - Aurélien Verdier
AU - Weiwei Xu
AU - Xiaorui Yang
AU - Jiaxi Yu
AU - Yao Zhang
AU - Siyi Zhao
AU - Xingchen Zhou
AU - Shengyu He
AU - Jean‐Paul Kneib
AU - Jiayi Li
AU - Zhuoyang Li
AU - Wen-Ting Wang
AU - Zhong-zhi Xianyu A
AU - Yidian Zhang
AU - Rafaela Gsponer
AU - Xiaodong Li
AU - A. Rocher
AU - Siwei Zou
AU - Ting Tan
AU - Zhiqi Huang
AU - Zhuoxiao Wang
AU - Pei Li
AU - Maxime Rombach
AU - Chenxing Dong
AU - D. Forero-Sánchez
AU - Yuanhang Ning
AU - Huanyuan Shan
AU - Tao Wang
AU - Li Yin
AU - Zhongxu Zhai
AU - Yuting Wang
AU - Gong‐Bo Zhao
AU - Yong Shi
AU - Shude Mao
AU - Lei Huang
AU - Liquan Guo
AU - Zheng Cai
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/24
JO - Science China Physics Mechanics and Astronomy
DO - 10.1007/s11433-026-2998-9
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11433-026-2998-9
AB - The MUltiplexed Survey Telescope (MUST) is a 6.5-m telescope under development. Dedicated to highly-multiplexed, wide-field spectroscopic surveys, MUST observes over 20000 targets simultaneously using 6.2-mm pitch positioning robots within a ∼5 deg 2 field of view. MUST aims to conduct the first Stage-V spectroscopic survey in the 2030s, mapping the 3D Universe with over 100 million galaxies and quasars, spanning from the nearby Universe to a redshift of z ∼ 5.5, corresponding to approximately 1 billion years after the Big Bang. To cover this extensive redshift range, we present an initial conceptual target-selection algorithm for different types of galaxies, including local bright galaxies, luminous red galaxies, emission-line galaxies, and high-redshift (2 < z < 5.5) Lyman-break galaxies. Using Fisher forecasts, we demonstrate that MUST can address fundamental questions in cosmology, including the nature of dark energy, tests of gravity theories, and investigations into primordial physics. This is the first paper in a series of science white papers for MUST, with subsequent papers focusing on additional scientific cases, including galaxy and quasar evolution, Milky Way physics, and dynamic phenomena in the time-domain Universe.
SN - 1869-1927
SN - 1674-7348
ER -