SPHEREx Thinkshop

18th August, 2025, 9a-1p
Carnegie Observatories, 813 Santa Barbara Street

Motivation:

SPHEREx is now providing a low-resolution spectral map of the entire sky, covering the range 0.75-5 microns in 102 channels and at a sensitivity that is sufficient for all sources found in the WISE mission. This is an incredibly rich data set both in volume and in novelty. The goal of this by-invitation thinkshop is to discuss how to use SPHEREx for your ongoing projects and brainstorm for novel uses of SPHEREx.

Framework for Participation:

The thinkshop is aimed at eager students and postdocs. The inaugural thinkshop will start at 9am and end at 12n. Sandwiches will be provided to all participants and discussions will continue through lunch. The thinkshop ends at 1p. Participants are expected to sign up to a framework described below.

In advance of the thinkshop participants are expected to spend at least a day reading and digesting basic material on SPHEREx (listed below).

After reading these papers and digesting the talks please read the
  • SPHEREx Explanatory Supplement. Finally, for eager beaver students, you can already start playing with public notebooks .

    Kulkarni is developing pedagogical material for this thinkshop. The notes will be posted here:

    Please read these ahead of the thinkshop.

    Schedule:

    0900-0930: Pedagogical lecture by Kulkarni
0930-1000: Accurate stellar radii with SPHEREx data  by Rustumkulov
           Zafar will showcase public tools for extracting SPHEREx data
1009-1030: Late time spectroscopy of transients by De
	   Kishalay will showcase his tools for extracting SPHEREx data
1030-1130: Flash discussions by participants on their interest in SPHEREx
           This is an oportunity for participants to present their planned use
           of SPHEREx data (optional)
1130-1200: Discussion of novel uses of SPHEREx
           Open discussion of zany uses of SPHEREx data
1200-1300: lunch (sandwiches). Informal discussion.

Participants
Caltech: 
[1]	Sam Rose, grad
[2]	Kaustav Das, grad
[3]	Samuel Whitebook, grad
[4]	Nikolaus Prusinski, grad
[5]	Soumadeep Bhattacharjee, grad
[6]	Viraj Karambelkar, postdoc

Carnegie:
[7]	Ana Bonaca, staff
[8]	Shreyas Vissapragada, staff 
[9]	Stella Ocker, postoc
[10]	Daniel Kelson, staff
	
Columbia:
[11]	Alexandra Masegian, grad

Lecturers:
[12]	Kishalay De, Columbia
[13]	Zafar Rustamkulov, IPAC

Organizing Committee:
[13]	S. Kulkarni, Caltech
[14]	L. Bouma, Carnegie
[15]	F. Perzo-Paolino, Caltech
[16]	J. Rich, Carnegie
[17]	L. Yan, Caltech Optical Observatories