Parallel sessions

The Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) is set to be one of the principal components of the UK astronomy programme for the next 15 years. This survey will impact every area of astrophysics: solar system (NEOs and Kuiper Belt), Galactic structure and stellar streams, star formation and stellar evolution, erupting stars, supernovae and transients, astrophysics in extreme environments, AGN and tidal disruption events, kilonovae and multi-messenger astrophysics, galaxy structure and morphology, galaxy populations, galaxy formation and evolution, gravitational lensing, the low surface brightness Universe, precision cosmology, dark matter and dark energy. Science survey operations are due to start in 2024, but preparatory science activities have been underway for a number of years within the international Science Collaborations and within the LSST:UK consortium. Our consortium comprises all astronomy and astrophysics departments in the UK and we envisage a very broad interest in the survey data. As we approach first light and approximately a year of commissioning, interest in Rubin and involvement in LSST data analysis is growing rapidly. In order to increase data awareness and galvanise the community, Rubin is releasing several stages of Data Previews, providing data rights holders with access to LSST-like data using early versions of the tools that they will use to process and analyse the real survey data. The LSST:UK Consortium is funded by STFC to provide an in-kind package that will be rewarded with data access rights for much of, if not all, the UK scientific community. The work will support commissioning, data processing operations, data access and software to enhance our exploitation of LSST data within (and beyond) the Science Collaborations. We hope that the UK community's data rights position will also be settled this year and we will present either the outcome of our negotiation with Rubin or a status update. The coming year is, therefore, a crucial year for UK participation in the Rubin LSST and this session will provide a timely update for the community on project status, early science opportunities, synergies with other facilities (e.g Euclid), data access, UK infrastructure development and plans for UK participation in the annual data release processing. We will provide overview information for those just starting out with their LSST data engagement as well as more detailed information for those who have been engaged over the last few years. Themes will include: Data Previews, data access, data primers and commissioning; Early science - time domain, the first Data Releases, synergies with other data (focused on science talks from early career researchers); Updates on the LSST:UK contributions to Rubin - how to maximise science and our contribution to the Rubin project