An overarching goal of this award is to continue astrophysical observations with the 10-meter South Pole Radio Telescope (SPT), as well as to support cutting-edge scientific discoveries and research analyses of telescope's data. The SPT research program for the next five years consists of three major parts: (1) the continued scientific analysis of, and public release of data products from, the recently completed 2500 sq. deg. Sunyaev-Zeldovich CMB survey; (2) three years of CMB observations with the recently deployed polarization sensitive camera, SPT-POL, including analysis and public release of data; and (3) the development and deployment of, and two years of observation with the new camera SPT-3G that, through a major upgrade to the SPT optics and a multi-chroic polarization-sensitive 15,234 detectors, will provide over an order of magnitude increase in the sky mapping speed. The data from each stage of this observation program will be used to improve tests of cosmological models and the framework of General Relativity, place increasingly precise constraints on the parameters describing the early Universe and the neutrino sector, map large-scale structure, characterize reionization, and provide catalogs of massive galaxy clusters, high-redshift lensed galaxies, and other sources. This range of science addresses some of the most compelling questions in cosmology and physics that have been the focus of several national reports. In particular, the 2010 Astronomy & Astrophysics Decadal Survey recommended the development of new instrumentation and observations to explore the CMB polarization. Through publications and data releases, the results of this ambitious program of technical development and scientific research will be shared with the community. The proposed activities contribute to the training of the next generation of scientists by integrating graduate and undergraduate education with technology development, astronomical observations, and scientific analyses. Research and education are also integrated by bringing research activities into the undergraduate classroom. The sharing of forefront research with non-scientists is extended beyond the university through a well-established educational network that reaches a wide audience at all levels of the educational continuum. Through museum partnerships and new media, the SPT outreach and educational efforts will reach large numbers of individuals while personalizing the experience.
