The LOFAR Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS): I. Survey description and first results

G. H. Heald; R. F. Pizzo; E. Orrú; R. P. Breton; D. Carbone; C. Ferrari; M. J. Hardcastle; W. Jurusik; G. Macario; D. Mulcahy; D. Rafferty; A. Asgekar; M. Brentjens; R. A. Fallows; W. Frieswijk; M. C. Toribio; B. Adebahr; M. Arts; M. R. Bell; A. Bonafede; J. Bray; J. Broderick; T. Cantwell; P. Carroll; Y. Cendes; A. O. Clarke; J. Croston; S. Daiboo; F. De Gasperin; J. Gregson; J. Harwood; T. Hassall; V. Heesen; A. Horneffer; A. J. Van Der Horst; M. Iacobelli; V. Jelić; D. Jones; D. Kant; G. Kokotanekov; P. Martin; J. P. McKean; L. K. Morabito; B. Nikiel-Wroczyński; A. Offringa; V. N. Pandey; M. Pandey-Pommier; M. Pietka; L. Pratley; C. Riseley; A. Rowlinson; J. Sabater; A. M.M. Scaife; L. H.A. Scheers; K. Sendlinger; A. Shulevski; M. Sipior; C. Sobey; A. J. Stewart; A. Stroe; J. Swinbank; C. Tasse; J. Trüstedt; E. Varenius; S. Van Velzen; N. Vilchez; R. J. Van Weeren; S. Wijnholds; W. L. Williams; A. G. De Bruyn; R. Nijboer; M. Wise; A. Alexov; J. Anderson; I. M. Avruch; R. Beck; M. E. Bell; I. Van Bemmel; M. J. Bentum; G. Bernardi; P. Best; F. Breitling; W. N. Brouw; M. Brüggen; H. R. Butcher; B. Ciardi; J. E. Conway; E. De Geus; A. De Jong; M. De Vos; A. Deller; R. J. Dettmar; S. Duscha; J. Eislöffel; D. Engels; H. Falcke; R. Fender; M. A. Garrett; J. Grießmeier; A. W. Gunst; J. P. Hamaker; J. W.T. Hessels; M. Hoeft; J. Hörandel; H. A. Holties; H. Intema; N. J. Jackson; E. Jütte; A. Karastergiou; W. F.A. Klijn; V. I. Kondratiev; L. V.E. Koopmans; M. Kuniyoshi; G. Kuper; C. Law; J. Van Leeuwen; M. Loose; P. Maat; S. Markoff; R. McFadden; D. McKay-Bukowski; M. Mevius; J. C.A. Miller-Jones; R. Morganti; H. Munk; A. Nelles; J. E. Noordam; M. J. Norden; H. Paas; A. G. Polatidis; W. Reich; A. Renting; H. Röttgering; A. Schoenmakers; D. Schwarz; J. Sluman; O. Smirnov; B. W. Stappers; M. Steinmetz; M. Tagger; Y. Tang; S. Ter Veen; S. Thoudam; R. Vermeulen; C. Vocks; C. Vogt; R. A.M.J. Wijers; O. Wucknitz; S. Yatawatta; P. Zarka

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201425210

The LOFAR Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS): I. Survey description and first results

G. H. Heald
, R. F. Pizzo
, E. Orrú
, R. P. Breton
, D. Carbone
, C. Ferrari
, M. J. Hardcastle
, W. Jurusik
, G. Macario
, D. Mulcahy
, D. Rafferty
, A. Asgekar
, M. Brentjens
, R. A. Fallows
, W. Frieswijk
, M. C. Toribio
, B. Adebahr
, M. Arts
, M. R. Bell
, A. Bonafede

J. Bray, J. Broderick, T. Cantwell, P. Carroll, Y. Cendes, A. O. Clarke, J. Croston, S. Daiboo, F. De Gasperin, J. Gregson, J. Harwood, T. Hassall, V. Heesen, A. Horneffer, A. J. Van Der Horst, M. Iacobelli, V. Jelić, D. Jones, D. Kant, G. Kokotanekov, P. Martin, J. P. McKean, L. K. Morabito, B. Nikiel-Wroczyński, A. Offringa, V. N. Pandey, M. Pandey-Pommier, M. Pietka, L. Pratley, C. Riseley, A. Rowlinson, J. Sabater, A. M.M. Scaife, L. H.A. Scheers, K. Sendlinger, A. Shulevski, M. Sipior, C. Sobey, A. J. Stewart, A. Stroe, J. Swinbank, C. Tasse, J. Trüstedt, E. Varenius, S. Van Velzen, N. Vilchez, R. J. Van Weeren, S. Wijnholds, W. L. Williams, A. G. De Bruyn, R. Nijboer, M. Wise, A. Alexov, J. Anderson, I. M. Avruch, R. Beck, M. E. Bell, I. Van Bemmel, M. J. Bentum, G. Bernardi, P. Best, F. Breitling, W. N. Brouw, M. Brüggen, H. R. Butcher, B. Ciardi, J. E. Conway, E. De Geus, A. De Jong, M. De Vos, A. Deller, R. J. Dettmar, S. Duscha, J. Eislöffel, D. Engels, H. Falcke, R. Fender, M. A. Garrett, J. Grießmeier, A. W. Gunst, J. P. Hamaker, J. W.T. Hessels, M. Hoeft, J. Hörandel, H. A. Holties, H. Intema, N. J. Jackson, E. Jütte, A. Karastergiou, W. F.A. Klijn, V. I. Kondratiev, L. V.E. Koopmans, M. Kuniyoshi, G. Kuper, C. Law, J. Van Leeuwen, M. Loose, P. Maat, S. Markoff, R. McFadden, D. McKay-Bukowski, M. Mevius, J. C.A. Miller-Jones, R. Morganti, H. Munk, A. Nelles, J. E. Noordam, M. J. Norden, H. Paas, A. G. Polatidis, W. Reich, A. Renting, H. Röttgering, A. Schoenmakers, D. Schwarz, J. Sluman, O. Smirnov, B. W. Stappers, M. Steinmetz, M. Tagger, Y. Tang, S. Ter Veen, S. Thoudam, R. Vermeulen, C. Vocks, C. Vogt, R. A.M.J. Wijers, O. Wucknitz, S. Yatawatta, P. Zarka

Physics

Netherlands Institute of Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
University of Groningen
University of Southampton
University of Amsterdam
Laboratoire Lagrange, UMR 7293, Université de Nice Sophia-Antipolis, CNRS, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur
University of Hertfordshire
Jagiellonian University
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Universität Hamburg
Shell Technology
Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics
University of Oxford
University of Washington
LESIA - Laboratoire d'Etudes Spatiales et d'Instrumentation en Astrophysique
Open University
Leiden University
Radboud University Nijmegen
CRAL, Observatoire de Lyon, Université Lyon 1
Victoria University of Wellington
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences
University of Edinburgh, Institute for Astronomy
Science Park 123
University of Bochum
GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot
SKA South Africa
Rhodes University
Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg
Universität Würzburg
Onsala Space Observatory
Johns Hopkins University
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Space Telescope Science Institute
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences
SRON Netherlands Insitute for Space Research
Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe
University of Twente
Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP)
Australian National University
SmarterVision BV
Thüringer Landessternwarte
LPC2E - Univ. d'Orléans/cnrs
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
University of Manchester
P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
University of California, Berkeley
Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory
Harwell Science and Innovation Campus
International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research
University Groningen
Universität Bielefeld

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

101 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present the Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS), the first northern-sky Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) imaging survey. In this introductory paper, we first describe in detail the motivation and design of the survey. Compared to previous radio surveys, MSSS is exceptional due to its intrinsic multifrequency nature providing information about the spectral properties of the detected sources over more than two octaves (from 30 to 160 MHz). The broadband frequency coverage, together with the fast survey speed generated by LOFAR's multibeaming capabilities, make MSSS the first survey of the sort anticipated to be carried out with the forthcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA). Two of the sixteen frequency bands included in the survey were chosen to exactly overlap the frequency coverage of large-area Very Large Array (VLA) and Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) surveys at 74 MHz and 151 MHz respectively. The survey performance is illustrated within the MSSS Verification Field (MVF), a region of 100 square degrees centered at (α,δ)_J2000 = (15^h,69°). The MSSS results from the MVF are compared with previous radio survey catalogs. We assess the flux and astrometric uncertainties in the catalog, as well as the completeness and reliability considering our source finding strategy. We determine the 90% completeness levels within the MVF to be 100 mJy at 135 MHz with 108″ resolution, and 550 mJy at 50 MHz with 166″ resolution. Images and catalogs for the full survey, expected to contain 150 000-200 000 sources, will be released to a public web server. We outline the plans for the ongoing production of the final survey products, and the ultimate public release of images and source catalogs.

Original language	British English
Article number	A123
Journal	Astronomy and Astrophysics
Volume	582
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201425210
State	Published - 1 Oct 2015

Keywords

Radio continuum: general
Surveys

Access to Document

10.1051/0004-6361/201425210

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Full text

Cite this

Heald, G. H., Pizzo, R. F., Orrú, E., Breton, R. P., Carbone, D., Ferrari, C., Hardcastle, M. J., Jurusik, W., Macario, G., Mulcahy, D., Rafferty, D., Asgekar, A., Brentjens, M., Fallows, R. A., Frieswijk, W., Toribio, M. C., Adebahr, B., Arts, M., Bell, M. R., ... Zarka, P. (2015). The LOFAR Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS): I. Survey description and first results. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 582, Article A123. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201425210

@article{1b7806376f414badbebb3fc7b5a0c228,

title = "The LOFAR Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS): I. Survey description and first results",

abstract = "We present the Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS), the first northern-sky Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) imaging survey. In this introductory paper, we first describe in detail the motivation and design of the survey. Compared to previous radio surveys, MSSS is exceptional due to its intrinsic multifrequency nature providing information about the spectral properties of the detected sources over more than two octaves (from 30 to 160 MHz). The broadband frequency coverage, together with the fast survey speed generated by LOFAR's multibeaming capabilities, make MSSS the first survey of the sort anticipated to be carried out with the forthcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA). Two of the sixteen frequency bands included in the survey were chosen to exactly overlap the frequency coverage of large-area Very Large Array (VLA) and Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) surveys at 74 MHz and 151 MHz respectively. The survey performance is illustrated within the MSSS Verification Field (MVF), a region of 100 square degrees centered at (α,δ)J2000 = (15h,69°). The MSSS results from the MVF are compared with previous radio survey catalogs. We assess the flux and astrometric uncertainties in the catalog, as well as the completeness and reliability considering our source finding strategy. We determine the 90\% completeness levels within the MVF to be 100 mJy at 135 MHz with 108″ resolution, and 550 mJy at 50 MHz with 166″ resolution. Images and catalogs for the full survey, expected to contain 150 000-200 000 sources, will be released to a public web server. We outline the plans for the ongoing production of the final survey products, and the ultimate public release of images and source catalogs.",

keywords = "Radio continuum: general, Surveys",

author = "Heald, \{G. H.\} and Pizzo, \{R. F.\} and E. Orr{\'u} and Breton, \{R. P.\} and D. Carbone and C. Ferrari and Hardcastle, \{M. J.\} and W. Jurusik and G. Macario and D. Mulcahy and D. Rafferty and A. Asgekar and M. Brentjens and Fallows, \{R. A.\} and W. Frieswijk and Toribio, \{M. C.\} and B. Adebahr and M. Arts and Bell, \{M. R.\} and A. Bonafede and J. Bray and J. Broderick and T. Cantwell and P. Carroll and Y. Cendes and Clarke, \{A. O.\} and J. Croston and S. Daiboo and \{De Gasperin\}, F. and J. Gregson and J. Harwood and T. Hassall and V. Heesen and A. Horneffer and \{Van Der Horst\}, \{A. J.\} and M. Iacobelli and V. Jeli{\'c} and D. Jones and D. Kant and G. Kokotanekov and P. Martin and McKean, \{J. P.\} and Morabito, \{L. K.\} and B. Nikiel-Wroczy{\'n}ski and A. Offringa and Pandey, \{V. N.\} and M. Pandey-Pommier and M. Pietka and L. Pratley and C. Riseley and A. Rowlinson and J. Sabater and Scaife, \{A. M.M.\} and Scheers, \{L. H.A.\} and K. Sendlinger and A. Shulevski and M. Sipior and C. Sobey and Stewart, \{A. J.\} and A. Stroe and J. Swinbank and C. Tasse and J. Tr{\"u}stedt and E. Varenius and \{Van Velzen\}, S. and N. Vilchez and \{Van Weeren\}, \{R. J.\} and S. Wijnholds and Williams, \{W. L.\} and \{De Bruyn\}, \{A. G.\} and R. Nijboer and M. Wise and A. Alexov and J. Anderson and Avruch, \{I. M.\} and R. Beck and Bell, \{M. E.\} and \{Van Bemmel\}, I. and Bentum, \{M. J.\} and G. Bernardi and P. Best and F. Breitling and Brouw, \{W. N.\} and M. Br{\"u}ggen and Butcher, \{H. R.\} and B. Ciardi and Conway, \{J. E.\} and \{De Geus\}, E. and \{De Jong\}, A. and \{De Vos\}, M. and A. Deller and Dettmar, \{R. J.\} and S. Duscha and J. Eisl{\"o}ffel and D. Engels and H. Falcke and R. Fender and Garrett, \{M. A.\} and J. Grie{\ss}meier and Gunst, \{A. W.\} and Hamaker, \{J. P.\} and Hessels, \{J. W.T.\} and M. Hoeft and J. H{\"o}randel and Holties, \{H. A.\} and H. Intema and Jackson, \{N. J.\} and E. J{\"u}tte and A. Karastergiou and Klijn, \{W. F.A.\} and Kondratiev, \{V. I.\} and Koopmans, \{L. V.E.\} and M. Kuniyoshi and G. Kuper and C. Law and \{Van Leeuwen\}, J. and M. Loose and P. Maat and S. Markoff and R. McFadden and D. McKay-Bukowski and M. Mevius and Miller-Jones, \{J. C.A.\} and R. Morganti and H. Munk and A. Nelles and Noordam, \{J. E.\} and Norden, \{M. J.\} and H. Paas and Polatidis, \{A. G.\} and W. Reich and A. Renting and H. R{\"o}ttgering and A. Schoenmakers and D. Schwarz and J. Sluman and O. Smirnov and Stappers, \{B. W.\} and M. Steinmetz and M. Tagger and Y. Tang and \{Ter Veen\}, S. and S. Thoudam and R. Vermeulen and C. Vocks and C. Vogt and Wijers, \{R. A.M.J.\} and O. Wucknitz and S. Yatawatta and P. Zarka",

note = "Funding Information: We thank the anonymous referee for comments that have improved this paper. LOFAR, the Low Frequency Array designed and constructed by ASTRON, has facilities in several countries, that are owned by various parties (each with their own funding sources), and that are collectively operated by the International LOFAR Telescope (ILT) foundation under a joint scientific policy. We acknowledge financial support from the BQR program of Observatoire de la C{\^o}te d{\textquoteright}Azur and from the French A.S. SKA-LOFAR. C.F. and G.M. acknowledge financial support by the “ Agence Nationale de la Recherche ” through grant ANR-09-JCJC-0001-01. D.C., Y.C., A.J.v.d.H., A.R., and J.S. acknowledge support from the European Research Council via Advanced Investigator Grant no. 247295 (PI: R. Wijers). R.P.B., J.B., T.H., A.J.S., M.P., and R.F. were funded by a European Research Council Advanced Grant 267697 “4 Pi Sky: Extreme Astrophysics with Revolutionary Radio Telescopes” (PI: R. Fender). D.M., B.A., M.R.B., A.B., F.d.G., A.H., M.I., K.S., and C.S. were supported by DFG Research Unit FOR1254 “Magnetisation of Interstellar and Intergalactic Media: The Prospects of Low-Frequency Radio Observations”. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} ESO, 2015.",

year = "2015",

month = oct,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1051/0004-6361/201425210",

language = "British English",

volume = "582",

journal = "Astronomy and Astrophysics",

issn = "0004-6361",

publisher = "EDP Sciences",

}

Heald, GH, Pizzo, RF, Orrú, E, Breton, RP, Carbone, D, Ferrari, C, Hardcastle, MJ, Jurusik, W, Macario, G, Mulcahy, D, Rafferty, D, Asgekar, A, Brentjens, M, Fallows, RA, Frieswijk, W, Toribio, MC, Adebahr, B, Arts, M, Bell, MR, Bonafede, A, Bray, J, Broderick, J, Cantwell, T, Carroll, P, Cendes, Y, Clarke, AO, Croston, J, Daiboo, S, De Gasperin, F, Gregson, J, Harwood, J, Hassall, T, Heesen, V, Horneffer, A, Van Der Horst, AJ, Iacobelli, M, Jelić, V, Jones, D, Kant, D, Kokotanekov, G, Martin, P, McKean, JP, Morabito, LK, Nikiel-Wroczyński, B, Offringa, A, Pandey, VN, Pandey-Pommier, M, Pietka, M, Pratley, L, Riseley, C, Rowlinson, A, Sabater, J, Scaife, AMM, Scheers, LHA, Sendlinger, K, Shulevski, A, Sipior, M, Sobey, C, Stewart, AJ, Stroe, A, Swinbank, J, Tasse, C, Trüstedt, J, Varenius, E, Van Velzen, S, Vilchez, N, Van Weeren, RJ, Wijnholds, S, Williams, WL, De Bruyn, AG, Nijboer, R, Wise, M, Alexov, A, Anderson, J, Avruch, IM, Beck, R, Bell, ME, Van Bemmel, I, Bentum, MJ, Bernardi, G, Best, P, Breitling, F, Brouw, WN, Brüggen, M, Butcher, HR, Ciardi, B, Conway, JE, De Geus, E, De Jong, A, De Vos, M, Deller, A, Dettmar, RJ, Duscha, S, Eislöffel, J, Engels, D, Falcke, H, Fender, R, Garrett, MA, Grießmeier, J, Gunst, AW, Hamaker, JP, Hessels, JWT, Hoeft, M, Hörandel, J, Holties, HA, Intema, H, Jackson, NJ, Jütte, E, Karastergiou, A, Klijn, WFA, Kondratiev, VI, Koopmans, LVE, Kuniyoshi, M, Kuper, G, Law, C, Van Leeuwen, J, Loose, M, Maat, P, Markoff, S, McFadden, R, McKay-Bukowski, D, Mevius, M, Miller-Jones, JCA, Morganti, R, Munk, H, Nelles, A, Noordam, JE, Norden, MJ, Paas, H, Polatidis, AG, Reich, W, Renting, A, Röttgering, H, Schoenmakers, A, Schwarz, D, Sluman, J, Smirnov, O, Stappers, BW, Steinmetz, M, Tagger, M, Tang, Y, Ter Veen, S, Thoudam, S, Vermeulen, R, Vocks, C, Vogt, C, Wijers, RAMJ, Wucknitz, O, Yatawatta, S & Zarka, P 2015, 'The LOFAR Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS): I. Survey description and first results', Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 582, A123. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201425210

TY - JOUR

T1 - The LOFAR Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS)

T2 - I. Survey description and first results

AU - Heald, G. H.

AU - Pizzo, R. F.

AU - Orrú, E.

AU - Breton, R. P.

AU - Carbone, D.

AU - Ferrari, C.

AU - Hardcastle, M. J.

AU - Jurusik, W.

AU - Macario, G.

AU - Mulcahy, D.

AU - Rafferty, D.

AU - Asgekar, A.

AU - Brentjens, M.

AU - Fallows, R. A.

AU - Frieswijk, W.

AU - Toribio, M. C.

AU - Adebahr, B.

AU - Arts, M.

AU - Bell, M. R.

AU - Bonafede, A.

AU - Bray, J.

AU - Broderick, J.

AU - Cantwell, T.

AU - Carroll, P.

AU - Cendes, Y.

AU - Clarke, A. O.

AU - Croston, J.

AU - Daiboo, S.

AU - De Gasperin, F.

AU - Gregson, J.

AU - Harwood, J.

AU - Hassall, T.

AU - Heesen, V.

AU - Horneffer, A.

AU - Van Der Horst, A. J.

AU - Iacobelli, M.

AU - Jelić, V.

AU - Jones, D.

AU - Kant, D.

AU - Kokotanekov, G.

AU - Martin, P.

AU - McKean, J. P.

AU - Morabito, L. K.

AU - Nikiel-Wroczyński, B.

AU - Offringa, A.

AU - Pandey, V. N.

AU - Pandey-Pommier, M.

AU - Pietka, M.

AU - Pratley, L.

AU - Riseley, C.

AU - Rowlinson, A.

AU - Sabater, J.

AU - Scaife, A. M.M.

AU - Scheers, L. H.A.

AU - Sendlinger, K.

AU - Shulevski, A.

AU - Sipior, M.

AU - Sobey, C.

AU - Stewart, A. J.

AU - Stroe, A.

AU - Swinbank, J.

AU - Tasse, C.

AU - Trüstedt, J.

AU - Varenius, E.

AU - Van Velzen, S.

AU - Vilchez, N.

AU - Van Weeren, R. J.

AU - Wijnholds, S.

AU - Williams, W. L.

AU - De Bruyn, A. G.

AU - Nijboer, R.

AU - Wise, M.

AU - Alexov, A.

AU - Anderson, J.

AU - Avruch, I. M.

AU - Beck, R.

AU - Bell, M. E.

AU - Van Bemmel, I.

AU - Bentum, M. J.

AU - Bernardi, G.

AU - Best, P.

AU - Breitling, F.

AU - Brouw, W. N.

AU - Brüggen, M.

AU - Butcher, H. R.

AU - Ciardi, B.

AU - Conway, J. E.

AU - De Geus, E.

AU - De Jong, A.

AU - De Vos, M.

AU - Deller, A.

AU - Dettmar, R. J.

AU - Duscha, S.

AU - Eislöffel, J.

AU - Engels, D.

AU - Falcke, H.

AU - Fender, R.

AU - Garrett, M. A.

AU - Grießmeier, J.

AU - Gunst, A. W.

AU - Hamaker, J. P.

AU - Hessels, J. W.T.

AU - Hoeft, M.

AU - Hörandel, J.

AU - Holties, H. A.

AU - Intema, H.

AU - Jackson, N. J.

AU - Jütte, E.

AU - Karastergiou, A.

AU - Klijn, W. F.A.

AU - Kondratiev, V. I.

AU - Koopmans, L. V.E.

AU - Kuniyoshi, M.

AU - Kuper, G.

AU - Law, C.

AU - Van Leeuwen, J.

AU - Loose, M.

AU - Maat, P.

AU - Markoff, S.

AU - McFadden, R.

AU - McKay-Bukowski, D.

AU - Mevius, M.

AU - Miller-Jones, J. C.A.

AU - Morganti, R.

AU - Munk, H.

AU - Nelles, A.

AU - Noordam, J. E.

AU - Norden, M. J.

AU - Paas, H.

AU - Polatidis, A. G.

AU - Reich, W.

AU - Renting, A.

AU - Röttgering, H.

AU - Schoenmakers, A.

AU - Schwarz, D.

AU - Sluman, J.

AU - Smirnov, O.

AU - Stappers, B. W.

AU - Steinmetz, M.

AU - Tagger, M.

AU - Tang, Y.

AU - Ter Veen, S.

AU - Thoudam, S.

AU - Vermeulen, R.

AU - Vocks, C.

AU - Vogt, C.

AU - Wijers, R. A.M.J.

AU - Wucknitz, O.

AU - Yatawatta, S.

AU - Zarka, P.

N1 - Funding Information: We thank the anonymous referee for comments that have improved this paper. LOFAR, the Low Frequency Array designed and constructed by ASTRON, has facilities in several countries, that are owned by various parties (each with their own funding sources), and that are collectively operated by the International LOFAR Telescope (ILT) foundation under a joint scientific policy. We acknowledge financial support from the BQR program of Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur and from the French A.S. SKA-LOFAR. C.F. and G.M. acknowledge financial support by the “ Agence Nationale de la Recherche ” through grant ANR-09-JCJC-0001-01. D.C., Y.C., A.J.v.d.H., A.R., and J.S. acknowledge support from the European Research Council via Advanced Investigator Grant no. 247295 (PI: R. Wijers). R.P.B., J.B., T.H., A.J.S., M.P., and R.F. were funded by a European Research Council Advanced Grant 267697 “4 Pi Sky: Extreme Astrophysics with Revolutionary Radio Telescopes” (PI: R. Fender). D.M., B.A., M.R.B., A.B., F.d.G., A.H., M.I., K.S., and C.S. were supported by DFG Research Unit FOR1254 “Magnetisation of Interstellar and Intergalactic Media: The Prospects of Low-Frequency Radio Observations”. Publisher Copyright: © ESO, 2015.

PY - 2015/10/1

Y1 - 2015/10/1

N2 - We present the Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS), the first northern-sky Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) imaging survey. In this introductory paper, we first describe in detail the motivation and design of the survey. Compared to previous radio surveys, MSSS is exceptional due to its intrinsic multifrequency nature providing information about the spectral properties of the detected sources over more than two octaves (from 30 to 160 MHz). The broadband frequency coverage, together with the fast survey speed generated by LOFAR's multibeaming capabilities, make MSSS the first survey of the sort anticipated to be carried out with the forthcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA). Two of the sixteen frequency bands included in the survey were chosen to exactly overlap the frequency coverage of large-area Very Large Array (VLA) and Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) surveys at 74 MHz and 151 MHz respectively. The survey performance is illustrated within the MSSS Verification Field (MVF), a region of 100 square degrees centered at (α,δ)J2000 = (15h,69°). The MSSS results from the MVF are compared with previous radio survey catalogs. We assess the flux and astrometric uncertainties in the catalog, as well as the completeness and reliability considering our source finding strategy. We determine the 90% completeness levels within the MVF to be 100 mJy at 135 MHz with 108″ resolution, and 550 mJy at 50 MHz with 166″ resolution. Images and catalogs for the full survey, expected to contain 150 000-200 000 sources, will be released to a public web server. We outline the plans for the ongoing production of the final survey products, and the ultimate public release of images and source catalogs.

AB - We present the Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS), the first northern-sky Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) imaging survey. In this introductory paper, we first describe in detail the motivation and design of the survey. Compared to previous radio surveys, MSSS is exceptional due to its intrinsic multifrequency nature providing information about the spectral properties of the detected sources over more than two octaves (from 30 to 160 MHz). The broadband frequency coverage, together with the fast survey speed generated by LOFAR's multibeaming capabilities, make MSSS the first survey of the sort anticipated to be carried out with the forthcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA). Two of the sixteen frequency bands included in the survey were chosen to exactly overlap the frequency coverage of large-area Very Large Array (VLA) and Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) surveys at 74 MHz and 151 MHz respectively. The survey performance is illustrated within the MSSS Verification Field (MVF), a region of 100 square degrees centered at (α,δ)J2000 = (15h,69°). The MSSS results from the MVF are compared with previous radio survey catalogs. We assess the flux and astrometric uncertainties in the catalog, as well as the completeness and reliability considering our source finding strategy. We determine the 90% completeness levels within the MVF to be 100 mJy at 135 MHz with 108″ resolution, and 550 mJy at 50 MHz with 166″ resolution. Images and catalogs for the full survey, expected to contain 150 000-200 000 sources, will be released to a public web server. We outline the plans for the ongoing production of the final survey products, and the ultimate public release of images and source catalogs.

KW - Radio continuum: general

KW - Surveys

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84946210122

U2 - 10.1051/0004-6361/201425210

DO - 10.1051/0004-6361/201425210

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84946210122

SN - 0004-6361

VL - 582

JO - Astronomy and Astrophysics

JF - Astronomy and Astrophysics

M1 - A123

ER -

The LOFAR Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS): I. Survey description and first results

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