The "Rubin 2036: Opportunities for Discovery" Workshop: A Community Roadmap for the Future of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory After the LSST

Rubin Observatory will complete its ten-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time in the mid-2030s. Its 8.4 m aperture and 9.6 square degree field of view give it an étendue unmatched by any facility planned for that era.

Rubin Observatory will complete its ten-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) in the mid-2030s. The Rubin 2036: Opportunities for Discovery workshop (KIPAC/SLAC, 3-5 August 2026) brought together approximately 100 participants to discuss Rubin's future after LSST.

This paper summarizes the workshop's structure and discussions across five working groups. The continued-surveying group explored a machine-learning foundation model pretrained on Rubin imaging for detection, deblending, and classification.

The cadence group considered allocating post-LSST observing time and strategies for transiting exoplanets, Type Ia supernova cosmology, time-delay cosmography, and second-scale transients. The filter group explored broadband, medium-band, and narrowband filters for photometric redshifts, high-redshift large-scale structure, AGN reverberation mapping, Galactic archaeology, and emission-line imaging.

The multi-messenger group explored follow-up of next-generation gravitational-wave and neutrino sources, including standard sirens, kilonovae, and Galactic supernovae. The technology group organized options by cost and lead time, including fast readout, new filters, a faster shutter, and summit edge computing.

Cross-cutting topics included AI/ML, Chilean and Latin-American co-leadership, satellite megaconstellations, and weather and climate trends at Cerro Pachón.

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