The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey: I. Survey description and preliminary data release
Journal article, 2017
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 h, which, at most declinations, is sufficient to produce ~5? resolution images with a sensitivity of ~100 ?Jy/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. Owing 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 25?, 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 45°00?00? to 57°00?00?).
Techniques: image processing
Surveys
Radio continuum: general
Catalogs
Author
T. W. Shimwell
Leiden University
H. Rottgering
Leiden University
P. N. Best
Royal Observatory
W. L. Williams
University of Hertfordshire
T. J. Dijkema
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
F. De Gasperin
Leiden University
M. J. Hardcastle
University of Hertfordshire
G. H. Heald
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
University of Groningen
D. N. Hoang
Leiden University
A. Horneffer
Max Planck Society
H. Intema
Leiden University
E. Mahony
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
The University of Sydney
ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO)
S. Mandal
Leiden University
A. P. Mechev
Leiden University
L. Morabito
Leiden University
J. B R Oonk
Leiden University
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
D. Rafferty
University of Hamburg
E. Retana-Montenegro
Leiden University
J. Sabater
Royal Observatory
C. Tasse
Paris Diderot University
Rhodes University
R. J. van Weeren
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
M. Brüggen
University of Hamburg
G. Brunetti
Istituto di Radioastronomia
K. T. Chy
Jagiellonian University in Kraków
John Conway
Chalmers, Earth and Space Sciences, Onsala Space Observatory
M. Haverkorn
Radboud University
N. Jackson
University of Manchester
M. J. Jarvis
University of Oxford
University of the Western Cape
J. P. McKean
University of Groningen
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
G. K. Miley
Leiden University
R. Morganti
University of Groningen
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
G. J. White
STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Open University
M. W. Wise
Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
I. van Bemmel
Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)
R. Beck
Max Planck Society
M. Brienza
University of Groningen
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
A. Bonafede
University of Hamburg
G. Calistro Rivera
Leiden University
R. Cassano
Istituto di Radioastronomia
A. O. Clarke
University of Manchester
D. Cseh
Radboud University
A. Deller
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
A. Drabent
Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg
W. van Driel
Paris Diderot University
University of Orléans
D. Engels
University of Hamburg
H. Falcke
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Radboud University
C. Ferrari
Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur
S. Fröhlich
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
M. A. Garrett
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
J. J. Harwood
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
V. Heesen
University of Southampton
M. Hoeft
Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)
Cathy Horellou
Chalmers, Earth and Space Sciences, Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics
F. P. Israel
Leiden University
A. D. Kapińska
University of Portsmouth
ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO)
University of Western Australia
M. Kunert-Bajraszewska
Nicolaus Copernicus University
D. J. McKay
STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Sodankyla Geophysical Observatory
N. R. Mohan
National Centre for Radio Astrophysics India
E. Orru
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
R. F. Pizzo
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
I. Prandoni
Istituto di Radioastronomia
D. J. Schwarz
Bielefeld University
A. Shulevski
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
M. Sipior
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
D. J B Smith
University of Hertfordshire
S. S. Sridhar
University of Groningen
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
M. Steinmetz
Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam
A. Stroe
European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Eskil Varenius
Chalmers, Earth and Space Sciences, Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics
P.P. van der Werf
Leiden University
A.J. Zensus
Max Planck Society
J. T L Zwart
University of the Western Cape
University of Cape Town
Astronomy and Astrophysics
0004-6361 (ISSN) 1432-0746 (eISSN)
Vol. 598 Art no A104- A104Driving Forces
Sustainable development
Subject Categories
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Roots
Basic sciences
Infrastructure
Onsala Space Observatory
DOI
10.1051/0004-6361/201629313