CRAFTS

A CRAFTS EARLY SCIENCE 1500 HOUR PLAN

time:2022-03-11
Due to the need for early science results from CRAFTS it is necessary to prioratize science-rich as well as technically-necessary regions in the initial CRAFTS survey. 1500 hours correspond to 62 (out of 222) 24hr drift scans + overhead.

- Technical Considerations:

      - Need a region overlapping with Arecibo for calibration comparison

      - Need a region to test and develop stray radiation model (Lockman Hole) 

      - Need good Dec coverage at ZA>26.4 either to the south or the north to

accurately characterize the beam positions, size, shape, and rotation as a function of ZA 

      - ZA < 26.4 is science-poor as it is mostly covered by Arecibo


  - Considerations for the individual surveys (in no particular order): 

Extra-galactic HI: Whole sky outside of the Arecibo coverage

  ZOA (even within Arecibo sky)

  Magellanic Stream

      Galactic HI: Orion, and other molecular cloud complexes outside of Arecibo sky

      Continuum Survey: Prefer away from galactic plane

         Prefer Decs away from Arecibo sky

         Prefer Decs away from 0 Dec

      Pulsar Search: Prefer the galactic plane outside of the Arecibo Sky, especially in the south

      FRB Search: Whole sky but prefer closer to Dec 0 deg

 

- Other considerations:

  - Avoid M31/M33 as that will be covered by other surveys

  - Contiguous 24 hr drifts are preferable for easier reduction and calibration

  - A large contiguous region would produce an impressive map


PROPOSED PLAN:

Comprises 62 drifts in total, in 3 contiguous regions. All 3 of these regions have already been partially observed. Fulfill most of the above considerations, including:

- Fulfills all technical requirements

- Provides a large map of the southern sky outside of Arecibo with 2 degree overlap

- Covers most of the galactic plane outside of Arecibo

- Covers several star forming regions outside of Arecibo (including Orion)

- Covers most of the ZOA

- Has high Dec regions with higher integration times

- Covers the Magellanic Stream outside of Arecibo

- Covers the regions with most likely new pulsars

- Covers galactic plane near as near the galactic center as FAST can reach

- Covers galactic anti-center

- Covers most of the CRAFTS science objectives

 

Lockman Hole Region (yellow): 4 drifts between Dec +54°21’ to +57°58’ (partial coverage)

Taurus Region (blue): 3 drifts between Dec +26°54’ to 28°43’ (partial coverage) 

Southern Region (red): 55 drifts from Dec -13°55’ to +5°36’ (full coverage)

 

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