STRATA science cases are defined in the project requirements as L0 cases for each STRATA-fed instrument. They are listed below, one sentence each.

MOSFIRE

  • L0-MOS-01: Characterize star-formation rate, gas-phase abundances, and other nebular properties in low-mass star-forming galaxies at Cosmic Noon (z ~ 2-3).
  • L0-MOS-02: Map reionization bubbles at z ~ 7-8 by detecting Lyman-alpha emission from spectroscopically confirmed galaxies across the MOSFIRE field.
  • L0-MOS-03: Measure mass and metallicity profiles in galaxies at z = 2-4, including improved-sensitivity probes of z = 1-2 galaxies and clusters.
  • L0-MOS-04: Spectroscopically classify Roman Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey and Galactic Plane Survey microlensing events, transits, and other crowded-field targets of interest.

LRIS-2

  • L0-LRS-01: Spectrally and spatially resolve cool-gas absorption, stellar kinematics, and star-forming regions in lensed galaxies, and measure the spatially resolved kinematics of the lens galaxy itself.
  • L0-LRS-02: Measure the physical properties of massive, low-metallicity stars in nearby dwarf galaxies with medium-resolution optical spectra.
  • L0-LRS-03: Obtain moderate-resolution spectra of faint galaxies that back-illuminate the intergalactic medium on sub-Mpc scales at z = 2-2.5.
  • L0-LRS-04: Use double source-plane lenses as unique constraints on cosmology and dark matter, with GLAO available over most of the night sky.

Liger

  • L0-LIG-01: Constrain dark-matter substructure models by detecting substructure in gravitational lenses from 0.8-2.4 µm.
  • L0-LIG-02: Find and weigh star plus black-hole binaries in globular clusters by measuring astrometric wobbles of companion stars.
  • L0-LIG-03: Find and weigh isolated stellar-mass black holes in the Galactic bulge and disk through astrometric microlensing.
  • L0-LIG-04: Find and weigh intermediate-mass black holes (10^4-10^6 solar masses) by resolving the sphere of influence in nearby dwarf galaxies.
  • L0-LIG-05: Map ionized-gas kinematics of galaxies at z ~ 0.3-1.5 to understand the transition from turbulent to thin disks at Cosmic Afternoon.
  • L0-LIG-06: Measure the fine-structure constant, and possible variation in a strong gravitational field, in a star orbiting the Galactic Center.
  • L0-LIG-07: Measure the chemical composition of directly imaged exoplanet atmospheres with high-resolution infrared spectroscopy.
  • L0-LIG-08: Study climate and atmospheric circulation on Uranus and Neptune by mapping molecular absorption over time.

KPF

  • L0-KPF-01: Measure stellar obliquities with KPF by concentrating more starlight into the science fiber.
  • L0-KPF-02: Measure exoplanet atmospheric spectra with KPF for bright stars.
  • L0-KPF-03: Measure fundamental stellar properties of K dwarfs with KPF asteroseismology.
  • L0-KPF-04: Increase the number of stars that can be observed in a night of cadence radial-velocity measurements.
  • L0-KPF-05: Detect Earth-mass planets around Sun-like stars, reaching radial-velocity noise levels of 20 cm/s.

ZShooter

  • L0-ZSH-01: Find and weigh compact remnants in binaries and crowded stellar systems using high-speed imaging and time-domain spectroscopy.
  • L0-ZSH-02: Obtain rapid spectroscopy and imaging of kilonovae to measure color evolution, ejecta velocity, temperature, and composition.
  • L0-ZSH-03: Classify and follow tidal disruption events by tracking the spectral and photometric evolution of nuclear transients.
  • L0-ZSH-04: Separate multiple images of strongly lensed supernovae and measure time delays, microlensing, extinction, and lens-model constraints.
  • L0-ZSH-05: Obtain rapid blue and near-UV spectroscopy of high-energy transients from surveys such as Einstein Probe, UVEX, and ULTRASAT.

OSIRIS shares the left-Nasmyth AO feed with Liger and they share similar science cases, although Liger is more sensitive, has a larger field-of-view, and adds red-optical coverage critical for the highest spatial resolution cases. Future-instrument cases (KOLA visible diffraction-limited imaging and additional Right-Nasmyth instruments) are planned upgrades in the future.