NOAO >   Observing Info >   Approved Programs >   2003B-0100

# Proposal Information for 2003B-0100

PI: Pieter G. van Dokkum, Yale University, dokkum@astro.yale.edu
Address: Astronomy Department, PO Box 208101, New Haven, CT 06520-8101, USA

CoI: Pat Hall, Princeton/U Catolica de Chile
CoI: Meg Urry, Yale University
CoI: Marijn Franx, Leiden University
CoI: Eric Gawiser, Yale University/U de Chile
CoI: Jose Maza, U de Chile
CoI: Jon Willis, ESO
CoI: Paolo Coppi, Yale University

Title: A Deep NIR Survey of the HDF-South Flanking Fields

Abstract: Studies of the rest-frame optical properties of galaxies beyond z~ 2 have been hampered by the lack of deep near-infrared (NIR) observations over sufficiently large fields. The IR sideport imager on the Blanco 4m offers the opportunity for a deep extra-galactic survey of unprecedented area. As part of an ambitious multi-wavelength survey conducted in collaboration with Chilean astronomers we propose to obtain very deep J, H, K_s images of the 10' \times 10' Flanking Fields'' area of the Hubble Deep Field South (HDF-S). These data complement extremely deep VLT+ISAAC images of the HDF-S proper (the deepest NIR data yet obtained of any field), and a broad array of supporting data at other wavelengths. The 10' \times 10' area is well matched to that of scheduled SIRTF observations of HDF-S, and planned Chandra data. The main science goals are to determine the spectral energy distributions, surface density and clustering of galaxies with evolved stellar populations at z>2, and to constrain the dust content and ages of ~ 100 Lyman-break galaxies from their rest-frame optical properties. In the spirit of the HDF campaigns we intend to make the reduced images publicly available.

National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360

 NOAO >   Observing Info >   Approved Programs >   2003B-0100