LOFAR surveys Probing the formation and evolution of massive galaxies, AGN, and clusters Huub Rttger

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LOFAR surveysProbing the formation and
evolution of massive galaxies, AGN, and
clustersHuub RöttgeringLeiden Observatory
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Today

• Recent changes in the survey plan
• Beam sizes and survey speeds
• Frequency setups
• Overall changes to the plan
• Commissioning plans
• Not today
• Science case
• Ionospheric calibration
• Implemented calibration method Spam (Intema et
  al.)
• Ionospheric description form the VLSS (Cohen et
  al.)
• Analytic model of ionospheric fluctuations (vd
  Tol et al)

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Key drivers
Definition of surveys
Optimization For a broad range of topics,
including the magnetism
Planning Coordination with transients and EOR
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LOFAR performance fully understood?
Yes
Execution
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Based on Nijboer and Pandey 2009
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Survey speed (100 km 1 beam 8MHz) Sweet spots
15-60 MHz (!) and 120 MHz
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• General wide band to improve UV coverage,
  calibration, optimize data for MKSP
• 15 MHz performance uncertain
• 30/60 MHz simultaneously observations would
  compromise sensitivity or survey speed.
• 120 MHz workhorse survey
• 150 MHz go as deep as possible
• 200 MHz high resolution
• with input from Heald, Anderson, Beck

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Key Drivers

• 100 z 6 radio galaxies
• 100 cluster radio sources at z 0.6
• 10 clusters of starbursts starbursts at zgt2
• Serendipity
• ltlt 30 MHz
• Plus a long list of important topics
• Clusters, AGN studies, Lensing, Galaxies, the
  Galaxy
• Cautionary notes
• Variation of sky brightness
• Tapering of the station beam to reduce side lobe
  levels
• Low elevation operations
• RFI
• Ionospheric calibration

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LOFAR surveys A three tier wedding cake
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• 120 MHz workhorse survey
• depth and are driven by 100 radio halos at z0.6
• 15,30, 60 MHz
• driven by 100 hzrgs at z6,
• a3060-1.6, a1530-1.3
• 200 MHz
• 250 pointings/1500 deg2 matching 60 MHz with
  a-0.75
• 200 sqr degrees famous fields, 60 clusters, 60
  nearby galaxies, 60 exciting objects
• Shallow all sky

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• 120 MHz starburst galaxies (z0.5 10 M/yr
  z2.5 100Mhz)
• 25 regions 50 famous blank fields, rest
  clusters, and other interesting regions
• Status nearby galaxies?
• 30 and 60 MHz matches all sky with a -1.4
• 200 MHz matches 120 MHz with a -0.8

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• Clusters of starbursting galaxies with 20-30 M/yr
  at z2.5 100M/yr at z8)
• Targetting famous extra-galactic fields

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First list of Commissioning plans

• A few Deep fields at full range of
  frequencies
• Low and high elevation
• 7 pointings in a hexagonal grid
• Coma A at a range of frequencies
• A giant radio source
• Deep observations at a very bright source
• Galactic center

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Iteration scheme

• Feb-March draft
• March 24 telecon
• April 7 update with detailed input also from
  MKSP
• End of April telecon with SW chairs
• May 1819 technical meeting at ASTRON, elaborate
  commissioning plans
• June17-19
• Finalise (commissioning) plans, discuss MS3,

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Core team

• Executive body
• Members
• appointed by national consortia
• Selected for specific expertise
• Current composition
• Huub Rottgering, Philip Best, Peter Barthel,
  Philip Best, Marcus Brüggen, Gianfranco Brunetti,
  Krzysztof Chyzy, John Conway, Matt Jarvis, Matt
  Lehnert, George Miley, Raffaella Morganti, Ignas
  Snellen

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Science group (SG) and chairs

• The highest redshift radio sources - George Miley
  
• Starforming galaxies at moderate and high
  redshifts- Matt Lehnert
• Clusters and cluster halo sources - Marcus
  Brüggen/Torsten Ensslin
• AGN at moderate redshifts - Philip Best
• Gravitational lensing - Neal Jackson
• Detailed studies of low-redshift AGN - Raffaella
  Morganti
• Nearby galaxies - John Conway
• Cosmological studies - Matt Jarvis
• Galactic radio sources Marijke Haverkorn /
  Glenn White