Abstract
The SuperCLuster Assisted Shear Survey (SuperCLASS) is a legacy programme using the
e-MERLIN interferometric array. The aim is to observe the sky at L-band (1.4 GHz) to a
r.m.s. of 7μJy beam−1 over an area of ∼ 1 deg2 centred on the Abell 981 supercluster. The
main scientific objectives of the project are: (i) to detect the effects of weak lensing in the
radio in preparation for similar measurements with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA); (ii)
an extinction free census of star formation and AGN activity out to z ∼ 1. In this paper we
give an overview of the project including the science goals and multiwavelength coverage
before presenting the first data release. We have analysed around 400 h of e-MERLIN data
allowing us to create a Data Release 1 (DR1) mosaic of ∼ 0.26 deg2 to the full depth. These
observations have been supplemented with complementary radio observations from the Karl
G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and optical/near infrared observations taken with the
Subaru, Canada-France-Hawaii, and Spitzer Telescopes. The main data product is a catalogue
of 887 sources detected by the VLA, of which 395 are detected by e-MERLIN and 197 of
these are resolved. We have investigated the size, flux, and spectral index properties of these
sources finding them compatible with previous studies. Preliminary photometric redshifts, and
an assessment of galaxy shapes measured in the radio data, combined with a radio-optical
cross-correlation technique probing cosmic shear in a supercluster environment, are presented
in companion papers
e-MERLIN interferometric array. The aim is to observe the sky at L-band (1.4 GHz) to a
r.m.s. of 7μJy beam−1 over an area of ∼ 1 deg2 centred on the Abell 981 supercluster. The
main scientific objectives of the project are: (i) to detect the effects of weak lensing in the
radio in preparation for similar measurements with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA); (ii)
an extinction free census of star formation and AGN activity out to z ∼ 1. In this paper we
give an overview of the project including the science goals and multiwavelength coverage
before presenting the first data release. We have analysed around 400 h of e-MERLIN data
allowing us to create a Data Release 1 (DR1) mosaic of ∼ 0.26 deg2 to the full depth. These
observations have been supplemented with complementary radio observations from the Karl
G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and optical/near infrared observations taken with the
Subaru, Canada-France-Hawaii, and Spitzer Telescopes. The main data product is a catalogue
of 887 sources detected by the VLA, of which 395 are detected by e-MERLIN and 197 of
these are resolved. We have investigated the size, flux, and spectral index properties of these
sources finding them compatible with previous studies. Preliminary photometric redshifts, and
an assessment of galaxy shapes measured in the radio data, combined with a radio-optical
cross-correlation technique probing cosmic shear in a supercluster environment, are presented
in companion papers
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | staa709 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1706–1723 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |
| Volume | 495 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2 Apr 2020 |
Keywords
- cosmology: observations
- large-scale structure of Universe
- gravitational lensing
- radio continuum: galaxies
- galaxies: evolution