Concept camera for the next-generation mm-wave cosmological surveys

Abstract: Past millimeter-wave galaxy surveys have probed the brightest starburst galaxies only and suffered heavily from confusion. The interpretation of existing surveys has also been hindered by the lack of reliable redshift indicators for measuring distances for the entire sample. Thanks to recent advances in mm-wave detector technologies we can now overcome these limitations, and conduct the first truly volumetric surveys of star-forming galaxies at mm-wavelengths down to the L* luminosities of typical galaxies, with ~1000 redshift slices spanning most of the Cosmic star-forming volume (z ~ 1--12) with nearly uniform mass and luminosity selection. We describe an instrument concept capable of delivering such surveys with the technologies available today, which can be built and operated on a ground-based mm-wave facility in the near future. Such spectrometer cameras can resolve and redshift identify up to to 25,000 star-forming galaxies per year even when operated on a 10-m class telescope. On a larger aperture it can do the same faster or probe even deeper. We propose a loose, open-source collaboration to design, build, and operate one or several such cameras through the shared contributions of leading experts and telescopes from around the globe.