Mexico's Role in the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Project

DESI, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, spearheaded by UNAM's Physics and Astronomy institutes, is mapping the cosmos, probing dark energy's secrets, and uniting global scientific efforts.

Mexico's Role in the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Project
UNAM's Physics and Astronomy institutes lead the charge in DESI, contributing to groundbreaking research in understanding dark energy and the universe's secrets. Credit: UNAM

In the quest to understand the vast cosmos in which we reside, one project stands at the forefront of modern cosmological research: the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). A multinational endeavor, DESI seeks to shed light on one of the most perplexing phenomena in the universe: dark energy. At the heart of this groundbreaking initiative are the esteemed Physics (IF) and Astronomy (IA) institutes of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), alongside other Mexican institutions. These include the National Institute for Nuclear Research (ININ), the National Polytechnic Institutes Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), and the University of Guanajuato.

DESI represents a significant step forward in our understanding of the universe's large-scale structure and promises to provide answers to some of the most profound questions about our existence. The project centers around a revolutionary instrument mounted on the Mayall Telescope in Tucson, Arizona (USA), comprising an array of five thousand robotic eyes, each equipped with optical fibers. This array has the astonishing capacity to observe a staggering one hundred billion galaxies in the Northern Hemisphere of our planet.