About LAMBDA

LAMBDA's Mission and Use Acknowledgement Statement

LAMBDA exists to serve the cosmic microwave background (CMB) research community and the greater cosmological research community. In particular, LAMBDA:

  • Develops and maintains data archives,
  • Develops and maintains data access and analysis tools to enhance data accessibility,
  • Offers scientific expertise on NASA's CMB missions, and
  • Provides the community public access to CMB resources.
  • There is no cost involved in the use of LAMBDA; however, if your research benefits from its use then we request that you include the following acknowledgement in your publications:

    Credit for material used from the LAMBDA website

    "We acknowledge the use of the Legacy Archive for Microwave Background Data Analysis (LAMBDA), part of the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Center (HEASARC). HEASARC/LAMBDA is a service of the Astrophysics Science Division at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center."

    Image Credit: NASA / LAMBDA Science Team

Hosting Data at LAMBDA:

LAMBDA is interested in hosting all data relevant to cosmic microwave background data analysis research. If interested in contributing your data to LAMBDA, please reach out to a member of the team or use the suggestions form. The project has prepared a data delivery primer to assist science teams in contributing data to LAMBDA.

LAMBDA Staff:

Graeme Addison Archival data scientist
Paula Detweiler Web developer
Tom Essinger-Hileman Science lead
Michael Greason Software and infrastructure lead
T. Britt Griswold Scientific illustration, graphics
Nathan Miller Archival data scientist
Urmila Prasad Web content and design
Janet Weiland Archival data scientist

The team has evolved over the years; former members are listed on about_lambda_alumni.html


LAMBDA Advisory Group:

The LAMBDA Advisory Group (LAG) provides feedback to the LAMBDA Science Lead, HEASARC Director, and NASA Headquarters. The group evaluates and monitors the performance of LAMBDA, and compiles an annual report of recommendations. The group and its evaluation are independent of LAMBDA. The current LAG members are:

Steven Benton - Chair Princeton University
Charles Bennett Johns Hopkins University
Sebastion Bocquet Ludwid Maximilians Universität
Mathew Madhavacheril University of Pennsylvania
Michael Niemack Cornell Univerisity

FY24 meeting report issued July 2024.

FY18 meeting report issued March 2018.

FY17 meeting report issued December 2016.

Members serve a minimum of one year and can renew for up to three-year terms (with staggering of multi-year terms to ensure some committee continuity from year to year while also incorporating fresh viewpoints). ADAP grantees are encouraged to serve on the group, 1) as significant users of LAMBDA's archival data, and 2) because LAMBDA can host their results, following reporting requirements.

If you would like to volunteer to serve on the LAMBDA Users' Group, or have an issue that the group could address, please contact Dr. Thomas Essinger-Hileman, or any of the members of the current Users' group.

HEASARC has an (analogous) Users' group.

A service of the HEASARC and of the Astrophysics Science Division at NASA/GSFC

HEASARC Director: Dr. Andrew F. Ptak

LAMBDA Director: Dr. Thomas M. Essinger-Hileman

NASA Official: Dr. Thomas M. Essinger-Hileman

Web Curator: Mr. Michael R. Greason