The all sky surveys done by the Palomar Observatory Schmidt, the European Southern Observatory Schmidt, and the United Kingdom Schmidt, the InfraRed Astronomical Satellite, and the Two Micron All Sky Survey have proven to be extremely useful tools for astronomy with value that lasts for decades. The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) is mapping the whole sky following its launch on 2009 December 14. WISE began surveying the sky on 2010 January 14 and completed its first full coverage of the sky on July 17. The survey will continue to cover the sky a second time until the cryogen is exhausted (anticipated in 2010 November). WISE is achieving 5σ point source sensitivities better than 0.08, 0.11, 1, and 6 mJy in unconfused regions on the ecliptic in bands centered at wavelengths of 3.4, 4.6, 12, and 22 μm. Sensitivity improves toward the ecliptic poles due to denser coverage and lower zodiacal background. The angular resolution is 6. 1, 6. 4, 6. 5, and 12. 0 at 3.4, 4.6, 12, and 22 μm, and the astrometric precision for high signal-to-noise sources is better than 0. 15.

We present 20 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)-selected galaxies with bolometric luminosities L bol > 10 14 L ☉ , including five with infrared luminosities L IR ≡ L (rest 8-1000 μm) > 10 14 L ☉ . These "extremely luminous infrared galaxies," or ELIRGs, were discovered using the "W1W2-dropout" selection criteria which requires marginal or non-detections at 3.4 and 4.6 μm (W1 and W2, respectively) but strong detections at 12 and 22 μm in the WISE survey. Their spectral energy distributions are dominated by emission at rest-frame 4-10 μm, suggesting that hot dust with T d ∼ 450 K is responsible for the high luminosities. These galaxies are likely powered by highly obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and there is no evidence suggesting these systems are beamed or lensed. We compare this WISE-selected sample with 116 optically selected quasars that reach the same L bol level, corresponding to the most luminous unobscured quasars in the literature. We find that the rest-frame 5.8 and 7.8 μm luminosities of the WISE-selected ELIRGs can be 30%-80% higher than that of the unobscured quasars. The existence of AGNs with L bol > 10 14 L ☉ at z > 3 suggests that these supermassive black holes are born with large mass, or have very rapid mass assembly. For black hole seed masses ∼10 3 M ☉ , either sustained super-Eddington accretion is needed, or the radiative efficiency must be <15%, implying a black hole with slow spin, possibly due to chaotic accretion.

SummaryArbuscular mycorrhizas contribute significantly to inorganic phosphate (Pi) uptake in plants. Gene networks involved in the regulation and function of the Pht1 family transporters in legume species during AM symbiosis are not fully understood.In order to characterize the six distinct members of Pht1 transporters in mycorrhizal Astragalus sinicus, we combined cellular localization, heterologous functional expression in yeast with expression/subcellular localization studies and reverse genetics approaches in planta. Pht1;1 and Pht1;4 silenced lines were generated to uncover the role of the newly discovered dependence of the AM symbiosis on another phosphate transporter AsPT1 besides AsPT4.These Pht1 transporters are triggered in Pi-starved mycorrhizal roots. AsPT1 and AsPT4 were localized in arbuscule-containing cells of the cortex. The analysis of promoter sequences revealed conserved motifs in both AsPT1 and AsPT4. AsPT1 overexpression showed higher mycorrhization levels than controls for parameters analysed, including abundance of arbuscules. By contrast, knockdown of AsPT1 by RNA interference led to degenerating or dead arbuscule phenotypes identical to that of AsPT4 silencing lines. AsPT4 but not AsPT1 is required for symbiotic Pi uptake.These results suggest that both, AsPT1 and AsPT4, are required for the AM symbiosis, most importantly, AsPT1 may serve as a novel symbiotic transporter for AM development.

Abstract. The near-earth object camera (NEOCam) is a proposed infrared space mission designed to discover and characterize most of the potentially hazardous asteroids larger than 140 m in diameter that orbit near the Earth. NASA has funded technology development for NEOCam, including the development of long wavelength infrared detector arrays that will have excellent zodiacal background emission-limited performance at passively cooled focal plane temperatures. Teledyne Imaging Sensors has developed and delivered for test at the University of Rochester the first set of approximately 10 μm cutoff, 1024 × 1024 pixel HgCdTe detector arrays. Measurements of these arrays show the development to be extremely promising: noise, dark current, quantum efficiency, and well depth goals have been met by this technology at focal plane temperatures of 35 to 40 K, readily attainable with passive cooling. The next set of arrays to be developed will address changes suggested by the first set of deliverables.

WISE is a NASA MIDEX mission to survey the entire sky in four bands from 3 to 25 microns with sensitivity about 500 times greater than the IRAS survey. WISE will find the most luminous galaxies in the universe, find the closest stars to the Sun, and detect most of the main belt asteroids larger than 3 km. WISE launch is scheduled in November, 2009 on a Delta 7320-10 to a 525 km Sun-synchronous polar orbit.This paper gives an overview of WISE including development status and management approach. WISE flight system design is single string with selected redundancy and graceful degradation. Wherever possible, design heritage from prior missions is pursued and properly reviewed to reduce development time and cost. Further risk reduction is achieved since the WISE spacecraft has no deployable mechanisms and no propulsion. Nonetheless, a complex space mission with a sophisticated cryogenic IR telescope such as WISE demands a partnership of multiple organizations in government research, academia, and industry. With a cost cap and relatively short development schedule, it is essential for all WISE partners to work seamlessly together. This is accomplished by a single management team representing all key partners and disciplines in science, systems engineering, mission assurance, project and contract management. WISE uses a variety of management tools including frequent team interaction, schedule, milestone and critical path analysis, risk analysis, reliability analysis, earned value analysis, configuration management, and management of schedule and budget reserves. After a successful mission critical design review in June, 2007, WISE has completed building most of the flight hardware, and started integration and test within payload and spacecraft.