Context. The upcoming new generation of optical spectrographs on four-meter-class telescopes will provide valuable opportunities for forthcoming galaxy surveys through their huge multiplexing capabilities, excellent spectral resolution, and unprecedented wavelength coverage.Aims. WEAVE is a new wide-field spectroscopic facility mounted on the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope in La Palma. WEAVE-StePS is one of the five extragalactic surveys that will use WEAVE during its first five years of operations. It will observe galaxies using WEAVE MOS (similar to 950 fibres distributed across a field of view of similar to 3 square degrees on the sky) in low-resolution mode (R similar to 5000, spanning the wavelength range 3660 - 9590 angstrom).Methods. WEAVE-StePS will obtain high-quality spectra (S/N similar to 10 angstrom(-1) at R similar to 5000) for a magnitude-limited (I-AB=20.5) sample of similar to 25000 galaxies, the majority selected at z >= 0.3. The survey goal is to provide precise spectral measurements in the crucial interval that bridges the gap between LEGA-C and SDSS data. The wide area coverage of similar to 25 square degrees will enable us to observe galaxies in a variety of environments. The ancillary data available in each of the observed fields (including X-ray coverage, multi-narrow-band photometry and spectroscopic redshift information) will provide an environmental characterisation for each observed galaxy.Results. This paper presents the science case of WEAVE-StePS, the fields to be observed, the parent catalogues used to define the target sample, and the observing strategy that was chosen after a forecast of the expected performance of the instrument for our typical targets.Conclusions. WEAVE-StePS will go back further in cosmic time than SDSS, extending its reach to encompass more than similar to 6 Gyr. This is nearly half of the age of the Universe. The spectral and redshift range covered by WEAVE-StePS will open a new observational window by continuously tracing the evolutionary path of galaxies in the largely unexplored intermediate-redshift range.
Iovino, A., Poggianti, B.M., Mercurio, A., Longhetti, M., Bolzonella, M., Busarello, G., et al. (2023). WEAVE-StePS: A stellar population survey using WEAVE at WHT. ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS, 672, 1-15 [10.1051/0004-6361/202245361].
WEAVE-StePS: A stellar population survey using WEAVE at WHT
Mercurio, A.;Bolzonella, M.;Vergani, D.;Pozzetti, L.;Bardelli, S.;Cucciati, O.;Talia, M.Membro del Collaboration Group
;Zucca, E.
2023
Abstract
Context. The upcoming new generation of optical spectrographs on four-meter-class telescopes will provide valuable opportunities for forthcoming galaxy surveys through their huge multiplexing capabilities, excellent spectral resolution, and unprecedented wavelength coverage.Aims. WEAVE is a new wide-field spectroscopic facility mounted on the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope in La Palma. WEAVE-StePS is one of the five extragalactic surveys that will use WEAVE during its first five years of operations. It will observe galaxies using WEAVE MOS (similar to 950 fibres distributed across a field of view of similar to 3 square degrees on the sky) in low-resolution mode (R similar to 5000, spanning the wavelength range 3660 - 9590 angstrom).Methods. WEAVE-StePS will obtain high-quality spectra (S/N similar to 10 angstrom(-1) at R similar to 5000) for a magnitude-limited (I-AB=20.5) sample of similar to 25000 galaxies, the majority selected at z >= 0.3. The survey goal is to provide precise spectral measurements in the crucial interval that bridges the gap between LEGA-C and SDSS data. The wide area coverage of similar to 25 square degrees will enable us to observe galaxies in a variety of environments. The ancillary data available in each of the observed fields (including X-ray coverage, multi-narrow-band photometry and spectroscopic redshift information) will provide an environmental characterisation for each observed galaxy.Results. This paper presents the science case of WEAVE-StePS, the fields to be observed, the parent catalogues used to define the target sample, and the observing strategy that was chosen after a forecast of the expected performance of the instrument for our typical targets.Conclusions. WEAVE-StePS will go back further in cosmic time than SDSS, extending its reach to encompass more than similar to 6 Gyr. This is nearly half of the age of the Universe. The spectral and redshift range covered by WEAVE-StePS will open a new observational window by continuously tracing the evolutionary path of galaxies in the largely unexplored intermediate-redshift range.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
