Papers
9
Total Citations
260
H-Index
6
About
J. Silber is a key engineer and scientist behind the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), a monumental project that is creating the largest 3D map of the universe. Silber’s core expertise lies in the design, production, and performance of the instrument’s groundbreaking robotic focal plane. Their most cited work (175 citations) details the 5,020 robotic fiber positioners that automatically retarget optical fibers every 10–20 minutes with micron precision, a feat that enables DESI to measure over 35 million galaxy redshifts. This contribution is central to DESI’s mission to measure the expansion history of the universe using the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation technique. Silber’s research spans the entire lifecycle of these systems, from early prototyping for the BigBOSS instrument to characterizing fiber assignment incompleteness for DESI’s Data Release 1. Their work on focal ratio degradation, mechanical integration, cooling, and astrometric calibration ensures the instrument’s stability and accuracy. By solving the complex engineering challenges of positioning thousands of fibers with extreme precision, Silber has enabled a new era of cosmological discovery, making them an indispensable figure in modern observational astronomy.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2The DESI Fiber View Camera System23 citations · 2019
- 3
- 4Dark energy spectroscopic instrument (DESI) fiber positioner production13 citations · 2018
- 5
- 6
- 7DESI focal plate mechanical integration and cooling6 citations · 2016
- 8DESI fiber positioner testing and performance (Conference Presentation)5 citations · 2018
- 9