A CRAFTS EARLY SCIENCE 1500 HOUR PLAN
- 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)