The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey - I. Survey Description and Preliminary Data Release
Abstract
The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) is a deep 120-168 MHz imaging survey that will eventually cover the entire Northern sky. Each of the 3170 pointings will be observed for 8 hrs, which, at most declinations, is sufficient to produce ~5arcsec resolution images with a sensitivity of ~0.1mJy/beam and accomplish the main scientific aims of the survey which are to explore the formation and evolution of massive black holes, galaxies, clusters of galaxies and large-scale structure. Due to the compact core and long baselines of LOFAR, the images provide excellent sensitivity to both highly extended and compact emission. For legacy value, the data are archived at high spectral and time resolution to facilitate subarcsecond imaging and spectral line studies. In this paper we provide an overview of the LoTSS. We outline the survey strategy, the observational status, the current calibration techniques, a preliminary data release, and the anticipated scientific impact. The preliminary images that we have released were created using a fully-automated but direction-independent calibration strategy and are significantly more sensitive than those produced by any existing large-area low-frequency survey. In excess of 44,000 sources are detected in the images that have a resolution of 25arcsec, typical noise levels of less than 0.5 mJy/beam, and cover an area of over 350 square degrees in the region of the HETDEX Spring Field (right ascension 10h45m00s to 15h30m00s and declination 45d00m00s to 57d00m00s).
Cite
@article{arxiv.1611.02700,
title = {The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey - I. Survey Description and Preliminary Data Release},
author = {T. W. Shimwell and H. J. A. Röttgering and P. N. Best and W. L. Williams and T. J. Dijkema and F. de Gasperin and M. J. Hardcastle and G. H. Heald and D. N. Hoang and A. Horneffer and H. Intema and E. K. Mahony and S. Mandal and A. P. Mechev and L. Morabito and J. B. R. Oonk and D. Rafferty and E. Retana-Montenegro and J. Sabater and C. Tasse and R. J. van Weeren and M. Brüggen and G. Brunetti and K. T. Chyży and J. E. Conway and M. Haverkorn and N. Jackson and M. J. Jarvis and J. P. McKean and G. K. Miley and R. Morganti and G. J. White and M. W. Wise and I. M. van Bemmel and R. Beck and M. Brienza and A. Bonafede and G. Calistro Rivera and R. Cassano and A. O. Clarke and D. Cseh and A. Deller and A. Drabent and W. van Driel and D. Engels and H. Falcke and C. Ferrari and S. Fröhlich and M. A. Garrett and J. J. Harwood and V. Heesen and M. Hoeft and C. Horellou and F. P. Israel and A. D. Kapińska and M. Kunert-Bajraszewska and D. J. McKay and N. R. Mohan and E. Orrú and R. F. Pizzo and I. Prandoni and D. J. Schwarz and A. Shulevski and M. Sipior and D. J. B. Smith and S. S. Sridhar and M. Steinmetz and A. Stroe and E. Varenius and P. P. van der Werf and J. A. Zensus and J. T. L. Zwart},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1611.02700},
year = {2017}
}
Comments
23 pages, 15 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in A&A