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arXiv · 2103.07476

The DECam Local Volume Exploration Survey: Overview and First Data Release

A. Drlica-Wagner·J. L. Carlin·D. L. Nidever·P. S. Ferguson·N. Kuropatkin·M. Adamów·W. Cerny·Y. Choi·J. H. Esteves·C. E. Martínez-Vázquez·S. Mau·A. E. Miller·B. Mutlu-Pakdil·E. H. Neilsen·K. A. G. Olsen·A. B. Pace·A. H. Riley·J. D. Sakowska·D. J. Sand·L. Santana-Silva·E. J. Tollerud·D. L. Tucker·A. K. Vivas·E. Zaborowski·A. Zenteno·T. M. C. Abbott·S. Allam·K. Bechtol·C. P. M. Bell·E. F. Bell·P. Bilaji·C. R. Bom·J. A. Carballo-Bello·M. -R. L. Cioni·A. Diaz-Ocampo·T. J. L. de Boer·D. Erkal·R. A. Gruendl·D. Hernandez-Lang·A. K. Hughes·D. J. James·L. C. Johnson·T. S. Li·Y. -Y. Mao·D. Martínez-Delgado·P. Massana·M. McNanna·R. Morgan·E. O. Nadler·N. E. D. Noël·A. Palmese·A. H. G. Peter·E. S. Rykoff·J. Sánchez·N. Shipp·J. D. Simon·A. Smercina·M. Soares-Santos·G. S. Stringfellow·K. Tavangar·R. P. van der Marel·A. R. Walker·R. H. Wechsler·J. F. Wu·B. Yanny·M. Fitzpatrick·L. Huang·A. Jacques·R. Nikutta·A. Scott
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Abstract

The DECam Local Volume Exploration survey (DELVE) is a 126-night survey program on the 4-m Blanco Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. DELVE seeks to understand the characteristics of faint satellite galaxies and other resolved stellar substructures over a range of environments in the Local Volume. DELVE will combine new DECam observations with archival DECam data to cover ~15000 deg$^2$ of high-Galactic-latitude (|b| > 10 deg) southern sky to a 5$\sigma$ depth of g,r,i,z ~ 23.5 mag. In addition, DELVE will cover a region of ~2200 deg$^2$ around the Magellanic Clouds to a depth of g,r,i ~ 24.5 mag and an area of ~135 deg$^2$ around four Magellanic analogs to a depth of g,i ~ 25.5 mag. Here, we present an overview of the DELVE program and progress to date. We also summarize the first DELVE public data release (DELVE DR1), which provides point-source and automatic aperture photometry for ~520 million astronomical sources covering ~5000 deg$^2$ of the southern sky to a 5$\sigma$ point-source depth of g=24.3, r=23.9, i=23.3, and z=22.8 mag. DELVE DR1 is publicly available via the NOIRLab Astro Data Lab science platform.

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A. Drlica-Wagner, J. L. Carlin, D. L. Nidever, P. S. Ferguson, N. Kuropatkin, M. Adamów, W. Cerny, Y. Choi, J. H. Esteves, C. E. Martínez-Vázquez, S. Mau, A. E. Miller, B. Mutlu-Pakdil, E. H. Neilsen, K. A. G. Olsen, A. B. Pace, A. H. Riley, J. D. Sakowska, D. J. Sand, L. Santana-Silva, E. J. Tollerud, D. L. Tucker, A. K. Vivas, E. Zaborowski, A. Zenteno, T. M. C. Abbott, S. Allam, K. Bechtol, C. P. M. Bell, E. F. Bell, P. Bilaji, C. R. Bom, J. A. Carballo-Bello, M. -R. L. Cioni, A. Diaz-Ocampo, T. J. L. de Boer, D. Erkal, R. A. Gruendl, D. Hernandez-Lang, A. K. Hughes, D. J. James, L. C. Johnson, T. S. Li, Y. -Y. Mao, D. Martínez-Delgado, P. Massana, M. McNanna, R. Morgan, E. O. Nadler, N. E. D. Noël, A. Palmese, A. H. G. Peter, E. S. Rykoff, J. Sánchez, N. Shipp, J. D. Simon, A. Smercina, M. Soares-Santos, G. S. Stringfellow, K. Tavangar, R. P. van der Marel, A. R. Walker, R. H. Wechsler, J. F. Wu, B. Yanny, M. Fitzpatrick, L. Huang, A. Jacques, R. Nikutta, A. Scott. 2021-03-12. The DECam Local Volume Exploration Survey: Overview and First Data Release. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/ac079d

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