The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS). Science Case and Survey Design

M Lacy; S Brown; S. A Baum; H Fu; C. J Chandler; S Chatterjee; T. E Clarke; S Deustua; J English; J Farnes; B. M Gaensler; N Gugliucci; G Hallinan; B. R Kent; A Kimball; C. J Law; T. J. W Lazio; J Marvil; S. A Mao; D Medlin; K Mooley; E. J Murphy; S Myers; R Osten; G. T Richards; E Rosolowsky; L Rudnick; F Schinzel; G. R Sivakoff; L. O Sjouwerman; R Taylor; R L White; J Wrobel; H Andernach; A. J Beasley; E Berger; S Bhatnager; M Birkinshaw; G. C Bower; W. N Brandt; S Burke-Spolaor; B J Butler; J Comerford; P. B Demorest; S Giacintucci; K Golap; T Güth; C. A Hales; R Hiriart; J Hodge; A Horesh; Ž Ivezić; M. J Jarvis; A Kamble; N Kassim; X Liu; L Loinard; D. K Lyons; J Masters; M Mezcua; G. A Moellenbrock; T Mroczkowski; K Nyland; C. P O'Dea; S. P O'Sullivan; W. M Peters; K Radford; U Rao; J Robnett; J Salcido; Y Shen; A Sobotka; S Witz; M Vaccari; R. J. van Weeren; A Vargas; P. K. G Williams; I Yoon

doi:10.1088/1538-3873/ab63eb

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The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS). Science Case and Survey Design

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The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS). Science Case and Survey Design

M Lacy, S Brown, S. A Baum, H Fu, C. J Chandler, S Chatterjee, T. E Clarke, S Deustua, J English, J Farnes, …

Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol.132(1009), p.35001

01/28/2020

DOI: 10.1088/1538-3873/ab63eb

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Abstract

The Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS) is a synoptic, all-sky radio sky survey with a unique combination of high angular resolution ( 2 5), sensitivity (a 1 goal of 70 Jy/beam in the coadded data), full linear Stokes polarimetry, time domain coverage, and wide bandwidth (2-4 GHz). The first observations began in 2017 September, and observing for the survey will finish in 2024. VLASS will use approximately 5500 hr of time on the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to cover the whole sky visible to the VLA (decl. > −40°), a total of 33 885 deg 2 . The data will be taken in three epochs to allow the discovery of variable and transient radio sources. The survey is designed to engage radio astronomy experts, multi-wavelength astronomers, and citizen scientists alike. By utilizing an "on the fly" interferometry mode, the observing overheads are much reduced compared to a conventional pointed survey. In this paper, we present the science case and observational strategy for the survey, and also results from early survey observations.

radio continuum: general

surveys

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Title: Subtitle: The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS). Science Case and Survey Design
Creators: M Lacy - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
S Brown - The University of Iowa , Department of Physics and Astronomy, 203 Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
S. A Baum - University of Manitoba Department of Physics and Astronomy, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
H Fu - The University of Iowa , Department of Physics and Astronomy, 203 Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
C. J Chandler - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
S Chatterjee - Cornell University Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science and Department of Astronomy, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
T. E Clarke - Naval Research Laboratory Remote Sensing Division , Code 7213, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20375, USA
S Deustua - Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Dr, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
J English - University of Manitoba Department of Physics and Astronomy, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
J Farnes - Oxford e-Research Centre , Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3QG, UK
B. M Gaensler - University of Toronto Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, 50 St George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, Canada
N Gugliucci - Department of Physics , St Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, NH 03102, USA
G Hallinan - California Institute of Technology , 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
B. R Kent - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
A Kimball - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
C. J Law - University of California Department of Astronomy and Radio Astronomy Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
T. J. W Lazio - California Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
J Marvil - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
S. A Mao - Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie , Auf dem Hügel 69, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
D Medlin - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
K Mooley - California Institute of Technology , 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
E. J Murphy - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
S Myers - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
R Osten - Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Dr, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
G. T Richards - Drexel University Department of Physics, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
E Rosolowsky - University of Alberta Department of Physics, CCIS 4-181, Edmonton AB T6G 2E1, Canada
L Rudnick - University of Minnesota Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, 116 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
F Schinzel - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
G. R Sivakoff - University of Alberta Department of Physics, CCIS 4-181, Edmonton AB T6G 2E1, Canada
L. O Sjouwerman - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
R Taylor - University of the Western Cape Department of Physics and Astronomy, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
R L White - Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Dr, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
J Wrobel - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
H Andernach - Universidad de Guanajuato Departamento de Astronomía, DCNE, Apdo. Postal 144, 36000 Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
A. J Beasley - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
E Berger - Harvard Astronomy Department , 60 Garden Street, MS 46, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
S Bhatnager - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
M Birkinshaw - University of Bristol HH Wills Physics Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK
G. C Bower - Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics , 645 N. A'ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
W. N Brandt - The Pennsylvania State University Department of Physics, 104 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA
S Burke-Spolaor - West Virginia University Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, Morgantown, WV, USA
B J Butler - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
J Comerford - University of Colorado Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
P. B Demorest - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
S Giacintucci - Naval Research Laboratory Remote Sensing Division , Code 7213, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20375, USA
K Golap - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
T Güth - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
C. A Hales - Newcastle University School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
R Hiriart - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
J Hodge - Leiden University Leiden Observatory, PO Box 9513, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
A Horesh - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Racah Institute of Physics, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel
Ž Ivezić - University of Washington
M. J Jarvis - University of Oxford Astrophysics, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK
A Kamble - Center for Astrophysics Harvard and Smithsonian , 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
N Kassim - Naval Research Laboratory Remote Sensing Division , Code 7213, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20375, USA
X Liu - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
L Loinard - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Instituto de Astronomía, 04510 Ciudad de México, Mexico
D. K Lyons - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
J Masters - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
M Mezcua - Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC) , Carrer Gran Capità, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain
G. A Moellenbrock - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
T Mroczkowski - ESO-European Southern Observatory , Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, D-85748 Garching b. München, Germany
K Nyland - National Research Council , resident at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA
C. P O'Dea - University of Manitoba Department of Physics and Astronomy, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
S. P O'Sullivan - Universität Hamburg Hamburger Sternwarte, Gojenbergsweg 112, D-21029 Hamburg, Germany
W. M Peters - Naval Research Laboratory Remote Sensing Division , Code 7213, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20375, USA
K Radford - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
U Rao - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
J Robnett - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
J Salcido - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
Y Shen - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign National Center for Supercomputing Applications, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
A Sobotka - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
S Witz - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
M Vaccari - INAF-Instituto di Radioastronomia, via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna, Italy
R. J. van Weeren - Leiden University Leiden Observatory, PO Box 9513, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
A Vargas - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
P. K. G Williams - Center for Astrophysics Harvard and Smithsonian , 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
I Yoon - National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol.132(1009), p.35001
DOI: 10.1088/1538-3873/ab63eb
ISSN: 0004-6280
eISSN: 1538-3873
Publisher: The Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Number of pages: 30
Language: English
Date published: 01/28/2020
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984066331702771

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