dc.contributor.author | Findlay, J.R. | |
dc.contributor.author | Sutherland, W.J. | |
dc.contributor.author | Venemans, B.P. | |
dc.contributor.author | Reylé, C. | |
dc.contributor.author | Robin, A.C. | |
dc.contributor.author | Bonfield, David | |
dc.contributor.author | Jarvis, M.J. | |
dc.contributor.author | Bruce, V.A. | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2012-03-14T11:00:37Z | |
dc.date.available | 2012-03-14T11:00:37Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2012-02 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Findlay , J R , Sutherland , W J , Venemans , B P , Reylé , C , Robin , A C , Bonfield , D , Jarvis , M J & Bruce , V A 2012 , ' Selection constraints on high-redshift quasar searches in the VISTA Kilo-degree Infrared Galaxy survey ' , Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , vol. 419 , no. 4 , pp. 3354-3367 . https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19975.x | |
dc.identifier.issn | 0035-8711 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2299/7950 | |
dc.description | Copyright 2011 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved. | |
dc.description.abstract | The European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) is a 4-m class survey telescope for wide-field near-infrared imaging. VISTA is currently running a suite of six public surveys, which will shortly deliver their first Europe wide public data releases to ESO. The VISTA Kilo-degree Infrared Galaxy survey (VIKING) forms a natural intermediate between current wide shallow and deeper more concentrated surveys, by targeting two patches totalling 1500 deg in the Northern and Southern hemispheres with measured 5σ limiting depths of Z≃ 22.4, Y≃ 21.4, J≃ 20.9, H≃ 19.9 and K≃ 19.3 (Vega). This architecture forms an ideal working parameter space for the discovery of a significant sample of 6.5 ≤ z ≤ 7.5 quasars. In the first data release, priority has been placed on small areas encompassing a number of fields well sampled at many wavelengths, thereby optimizing science gains and synergy whilst ensuring a timely release of the first products. For rare object searches, e.g. high-z quasars, this policy is not ideal since photometric selection strategies generally evolve considerably with the acquisition of data. Without a reasonably representative data set sampling many directions on the sky, it is not clear how a rare object search can be conducted in a highly complete and efficient manner. In this paper, we alleviate this problem by supplementing initial data with a realistic model of the spatial, luminosity and colour distributions of sources known to heavily contaminate photometric quasar selection spaces, namely dwarf stars of spectral types M, L and T. We use this model along with a subset of available data to investigate contamination of quasar selection space by cool stars and galaxies and lay down a set of benchmark selection constraints that limit contamination to reasonable levels whilst maintaining high completeness as a function of both magnitude and redshift. We review recent follow-up imaging of the first VIKING high-z quasar candidates and find that the results lend considerable support for the choice of selection constraints. The methods outlined here are also applicable to rare object searches in a number of other ongoing and forthcoming projects. | en |
dc.format.extent | 9192633 | |
dc.language.iso | eng | |
dc.relation.ispartof | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | |
dc.title | Selection constraints on high-redshift quasar searches in the VISTA Kilo-degree Infrared Galaxy survey | en |
dc.contributor.institution | School of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics | |
dc.contributor.institution | Science & Technology Research Institute | |
dc.contributor.institution | Centre for Astrophysics Research (CAR) | |
dc.description.status | Peer reviewed | |
dc.identifier.url | http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=82355168529&partnerID=8YFLogxK | |
rioxxterms.versionofrecord | 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19975.x | |
rioxxterms.type | Journal Article/Review | |
herts.preservation.rarelyaccessed | true | |