The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). I. Introduction to the survey

Laura Ferrarese; Patrick Côté; Jean Charles Cuillandre; S. D.J. Gwyn; Eric W. Peng; Lauren A. MacArthur; Pierre Alain Duc; A. Boselli; Simona Mei; Thomas Erben; Alan W. McConnachie; Patrick R. Durrell; J. Christopher Mihos; Andrés Jordán; Ariane Lançon; Thomas H. Puzia; Eric Emsellem; Michael L. Balogh; John P. Blakeslee; Ludovic Van Waerbeke; Raphaël Gavazzi; Bernd Vollmer; J. J. Kavelaars; David Woods; Nicholas M. Ball; S. Boissier; Stéphane Courteau; E. Ferriere; G. Gavazzi; Hendrik Hildebrandt; P. Hudelot; M. Huertas-Company; Chengze Liu; Dean McLaughlin; Y. Mellier; Martha Milkeraitis; David Schade; Chantal Balkowski; Frédéric Bournaud; R. G. Carlberg; S. C. Chapman; Henk Hoekstra; Chien Peng; Marcin Sawicki; Luc Simard; James E. Taylor; R. Brent Tully; Wim Van Driel; Christine D. Wilson; Todd Burdullis; Billy Mahoney; Nadine Manset

doi:10.1088/0067-0049/200/1/4

The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). I. Introduction to the survey

Laura Ferrarese, Patrick Côté, Jean Charles Cuillandre, S. D.J. Gwyn, Eric W. Peng, Lauren A. MacArthur, Pierre Alain Duc, A. Boselli, Simona Mei, Thomas Erben, Alan W. McConnachie, Patrick R. Durrell, J. Christopher Mihos, Andrés Jordán, Ariane Lançon, Thomas H. Puzia, Eric Emsellem, Michael L. Balogh, John P. Blakeslee, Ludovic Van WaerbekeRaphaël Gavazzi, Bernd Vollmer, J. J. Kavelaars, David Woods, Nicholas M. Ball, S. Boissier, Stéphane Courteau, E. Ferriere, G. Gavazzi, Hendrik Hildebrandt, P. Hudelot, M. Huertas-Company, Chengze Liu, Dean McLaughlin, Y. Mellier, Martha Milkeraitis, David Schade, Chantal Balkowski, Frédéric Bournaud, R. G. Carlberg, S. C. Chapman, Henk Hoekstra, Chien Peng, Marcin Sawicki, Luc Simard, James E. Taylor, R. Brent Tully, Wim Van Driel, Christine D. Wilson, Todd Burdullis, Billy Mahoney, Nadine Manset

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Abstract

The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS) is a program that uses the 1 deg ² MegaCam instrument on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope to carry out a comprehensive optical imaging survey of the Virgo cluster, from its core to its virial radius - covering a total area of 104 deg ² - in the u*griz bandpasses. Thanks to a dedicated data acquisition strategy and processing pipeline, the NGVS reaches a point-source depth of g 25.9 mag (10σ) and a surface brightness limit of μ _g 29 mag arcsec ^-2 (2σ above the mean sky level), thus superseding all previous optical studies of this benchmark galaxy cluster. In this paper, we give an overview of the technical aspects of the survey, such as areal coverage, field placement, choice of filters, limiting magnitudes, observing strategies, data processing and calibration pipelines, survey timeline, and data products. We also describe the primary scientific topics of the NGVS, which include: the galaxy luminosity and mass functions; the color-magnitude relation; galaxy scaling relations; compact stellar systems; galactic nuclei; the extragalactic distance scale; the large-scale environment of the cluster and its relationship to the Local Supercluster; diffuse light and the intracluster medium; galaxy interactions and evolutionary processes; and extragalactic star clusters. In addition, we describe a number of ancillary programs dealing with "foreground" and "background" science topics, including the study of high-inclination trans-Neptunian objects; the structure of the Galactic halo in the direction of the Virgo Overdensity and Sagittarius Stream; the measurement of cosmic shear, galaxy-galaxy, and cluster lensing; and the identification of distant galaxy clusters, and strong-lensing events.

Original language	English
Article number	4
Journal	Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series
Volume	200
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/0067-0049/200/1/4
State	Published - May 2012
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

galaxies: clusters: individual (Virgo)
galaxies: distances and redshifts
galaxies: general
galaxies: luminosity function, mass function
galaxies: photometry
galaxies: star clusters: general

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Ferrarese, L., Côté, P., Cuillandre, J. C., Gwyn, S. D. J., Peng, E. W., MacArthur, L. A., Duc, P. A., Boselli, A., Mei, S., Erben, T., McConnachie, A. W., Durrell, P. R., Christopher Mihos, J., Jordán, A., Lançon, A., Puzia, T. H., Emsellem, E., Balogh, M. L., Blakeslee, J. P., ... Manset, N. (2012). The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). I. Introduction to the survey. Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series, 200(1), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.1088/0067-0049/200/1/4

@article{b9f56395e6734ce587442472463d5efe,

title = "The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). I. Introduction to the survey",

abstract = "The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS) is a program that uses the 1 deg 2 MegaCam instrument on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope to carry out a comprehensive optical imaging survey of the Virgo cluster, from its core to its virial radius - covering a total area of 104 deg 2 - in the u*griz bandpasses. Thanks to a dedicated data acquisition strategy and processing pipeline, the NGVS reaches a point-source depth of g 25.9 mag (10σ) and a surface brightness limit of μ g 29 mag arcsec -2 (2σ above the mean sky level), thus superseding all previous optical studies of this benchmark galaxy cluster. In this paper, we give an overview of the technical aspects of the survey, such as areal coverage, field placement, choice of filters, limiting magnitudes, observing strategies, data processing and calibration pipelines, survey timeline, and data products. We also describe the primary scientific topics of the NGVS, which include: the galaxy luminosity and mass functions; the color-magnitude relation; galaxy scaling relations; compact stellar systems; galactic nuclei; the extragalactic distance scale; the large-scale environment of the cluster and its relationship to the Local Supercluster; diffuse light and the intracluster medium; galaxy interactions and evolutionary processes; and extragalactic star clusters. In addition, we describe a number of ancillary programs dealing with {"}foreground{"} and {"}background{"} science topics, including the study of high-inclination trans-Neptunian objects; the structure of the Galactic halo in the direction of the Virgo Overdensity and Sagittarius Stream; the measurement of cosmic shear, galaxy-galaxy, and cluster lensing; and the identification of distant galaxy clusters, and strong-lensing events.",

keywords = "galaxies: clusters: individual (Virgo), galaxies: distances and redshifts, galaxies: general, galaxies: luminosity function, mass function, galaxies: photometry, galaxies: star clusters: general",

author = "Laura Ferrarese and Patrick C{\^o}t{\'e} and Cuillandre, {Jean Charles} and Gwyn, {S. D.J.} and Peng, {Eric W.} and MacArthur, {Lauren A.} and Duc, {Pierre Alain} and A. Boselli and Simona Mei and Thomas Erben and McConnachie, {Alan W.} and Durrell, {Patrick R.} and {Christopher Mihos}, J. and Andr{\'e}s Jord{\'a}n and Ariane Lan{\c c}on and Puzia, {Thomas H.} and Eric Emsellem and Balogh, {Michael L.} and Blakeslee, {John P.} and {Van Waerbeke}, Ludovic and Rapha{\"e}l Gavazzi and Bernd Vollmer and Kavelaars, {J. J.} and David Woods and Ball, {Nicholas M.} and S. Boissier and St{\'e}phane Courteau and E. Ferriere and G. Gavazzi and Hendrik Hildebrandt and P. Hudelot and M. Huertas-Company and Chengze Liu and Dean McLaughlin and Y. Mellier and Martha Milkeraitis and David Schade and Chantal Balkowski and Fr{\'e}d{\'e}ric Bournaud and Carlberg, {R. G.} and Chapman, {S. C.} and Henk Hoekstra and Chien Peng and Marcin Sawicki and Luc Simard and Taylor, {James E.} and {Brent Tully}, R. and {Van Driel}, Wim and Wilson, {Christine D.} and Todd Burdullis and Billy Mahoney and Nadine Manset",

year = "2012",

month = may,

doi = "10.1088/0067-0049/200/1/4",

language = "English",

volume = "200",

journal = "Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series",

issn = "0067-0049",

publisher = "American Astronomical Society",

number = "1",

}

Ferrarese, L, Côté, P, Cuillandre, JC, Gwyn, SDJ, Peng, EW, MacArthur, LA, Duc, PA, Boselli, A, Mei, S, Erben, T, McConnachie, AW, Durrell, PR, Christopher Mihos, J, Jordán, A, Lançon, A, Puzia, TH, Emsellem, E, Balogh, ML, Blakeslee, JP, Van Waerbeke, L, Gavazzi, R, Vollmer, B, Kavelaars, JJ, Woods, D, Ball, NM, Boissier, S, Courteau, S, Ferriere, E, Gavazzi, G, Hildebrandt, H, Hudelot, P, Huertas-Company, M, Liu, C, McLaughlin, D, Mellier, Y, Milkeraitis, M, Schade, D, Balkowski, C, Bournaud, F, Carlberg, RG, Chapman, SC, Hoekstra, H, Peng, C, Sawicki, M, Simard, L, Taylor, JE, Brent Tully, R, Van Driel, W, Wilson, CD, Burdullis, T, Mahoney, B & Manset, N 2012, 'The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). I. Introduction to the survey', Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series, vol. 200, no. 1, 4. https://doi.org/10.1088/0067-0049/200/1/4

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). I. Introduction to the survey

AU - Ferrarese, Laura

AU - Côté, Patrick

AU - Cuillandre, Jean Charles

AU - Gwyn, S. D.J.

AU - Peng, Eric W.

AU - MacArthur, Lauren A.

AU - Duc, Pierre Alain

AU - Boselli, A.

AU - Mei, Simona

AU - Erben, Thomas

AU - McConnachie, Alan W.

AU - Durrell, Patrick R.

AU - Christopher Mihos, J.

AU - Jordán, Andrés

AU - Lançon, Ariane

AU - Puzia, Thomas H.

AU - Emsellem, Eric

AU - Balogh, Michael L.

AU - Blakeslee, John P.

AU - Van Waerbeke, Ludovic

AU - Gavazzi, Raphaël

AU - Vollmer, Bernd

AU - Kavelaars, J. J.

AU - Woods, David

AU - Ball, Nicholas M.

AU - Boissier, S.

AU - Courteau, Stéphane

AU - Ferriere, E.

AU - Gavazzi, G.

AU - Hildebrandt, Hendrik

AU - Hudelot, P.

AU - Huertas-Company, M.

AU - Liu, Chengze

AU - McLaughlin, Dean

AU - Mellier, Y.

AU - Milkeraitis, Martha

AU - Schade, David

AU - Balkowski, Chantal

AU - Bournaud, Frédéric

AU - Carlberg, R. G.

AU - Chapman, S. C.

AU - Hoekstra, Henk

AU - Peng, Chien

AU - Sawicki, Marcin

AU - Simard, Luc

AU - Taylor, James E.

AU - Brent Tully, R.

AU - Van Driel, Wim

AU - Wilson, Christine D.

AU - Burdullis, Todd

AU - Mahoney, Billy

AU - Manset, Nadine

PY - 2012/5

Y1 - 2012/5

N2 - The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS) is a program that uses the 1 deg 2 MegaCam instrument on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope to carry out a comprehensive optical imaging survey of the Virgo cluster, from its core to its virial radius - covering a total area of 104 deg 2 - in the u*griz bandpasses. Thanks to a dedicated data acquisition strategy and processing pipeline, the NGVS reaches a point-source depth of g 25.9 mag (10σ) and a surface brightness limit of μ g 29 mag arcsec -2 (2σ above the mean sky level), thus superseding all previous optical studies of this benchmark galaxy cluster. In this paper, we give an overview of the technical aspects of the survey, such as areal coverage, field placement, choice of filters, limiting magnitudes, observing strategies, data processing and calibration pipelines, survey timeline, and data products. We also describe the primary scientific topics of the NGVS, which include: the galaxy luminosity and mass functions; the color-magnitude relation; galaxy scaling relations; compact stellar systems; galactic nuclei; the extragalactic distance scale; the large-scale environment of the cluster and its relationship to the Local Supercluster; diffuse light and the intracluster medium; galaxy interactions and evolutionary processes; and extragalactic star clusters. In addition, we describe a number of ancillary programs dealing with "foreground" and "background" science topics, including the study of high-inclination trans-Neptunian objects; the structure of the Galactic halo in the direction of the Virgo Overdensity and Sagittarius Stream; the measurement of cosmic shear, galaxy-galaxy, and cluster lensing; and the identification of distant galaxy clusters, and strong-lensing events.

AB - The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS) is a program that uses the 1 deg 2 MegaCam instrument on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope to carry out a comprehensive optical imaging survey of the Virgo cluster, from its core to its virial radius - covering a total area of 104 deg 2 - in the u*griz bandpasses. Thanks to a dedicated data acquisition strategy and processing pipeline, the NGVS reaches a point-source depth of g 25.9 mag (10σ) and a surface brightness limit of μ g 29 mag arcsec -2 (2σ above the mean sky level), thus superseding all previous optical studies of this benchmark galaxy cluster. In this paper, we give an overview of the technical aspects of the survey, such as areal coverage, field placement, choice of filters, limiting magnitudes, observing strategies, data processing and calibration pipelines, survey timeline, and data products. We also describe the primary scientific topics of the NGVS, which include: the galaxy luminosity and mass functions; the color-magnitude relation; galaxy scaling relations; compact stellar systems; galactic nuclei; the extragalactic distance scale; the large-scale environment of the cluster and its relationship to the Local Supercluster; diffuse light and the intracluster medium; galaxy interactions and evolutionary processes; and extragalactic star clusters. In addition, we describe a number of ancillary programs dealing with "foreground" and "background" science topics, including the study of high-inclination trans-Neptunian objects; the structure of the Galactic halo in the direction of the Virgo Overdensity and Sagittarius Stream; the measurement of cosmic shear, galaxy-galaxy, and cluster lensing; and the identification of distant galaxy clusters, and strong-lensing events.

KW - galaxies: clusters: individual (Virgo)

KW - galaxies: distances and redshifts

KW - galaxies: general

KW - galaxies: luminosity function, mass function

KW - galaxies: photometry

KW - galaxies: star clusters: general

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84860772318&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1088/0067-0049/200/1/4

DO - 10.1088/0067-0049/200/1/4

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84860772318

SN - 0067-0049

VL - 200

JO - Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series

JF - Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series

IS - 1

M1 - 4

ER -

The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). I. Introduction to the survey

Abstract

Keywords

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