The zwicky transient facility: System overview, performance, and first results

Eric C. Bellm; Shrinivas R. Kulkarni; Matthew J. Graham; Richard Dekany; Roger M. Smith; Reed Riddle; Frank J. Masci; George Helou; Thomas A. Prince; Scott M. Adams; C. Barbarino; Tom Barlow; James Bauer; Ron Beck; Justin Belicki; Rahul Biswas; Nadejda Blagorodnova; Dennis Bodewits; Bryce Bolin; Valery Brinnel; Tim Brooke; Brian Bue; Mattia Bulla; Rick Burruss; S. Bradley Cenko; Chan Kao Chang; Andrew Connolly; Michael Coughlin; John Cromer; Virginia Cunningham; Kishalay De; Alex Delacroix; Vandana Desai; Dmitry A. Duev; Gwendolyn Eadie; Tony L. Farnham; Michael Feeney; Ulrich Feindt; David Flynn; Anna Franckowiak; S. Frederick; C. Fremling; Avishay Gal-Yam; Suvi Gezari; Matteo Giomi; Daniel A. Goldstein; V. Zach Golkhou; Ariel Goobar; Steven Groom; Eugean Hacopians; David Hale; John Henning; Anna Y.Q. Ho; David Hover; Justin Howell; Tiara Hung; Daniela Huppenkothen; David Imel; Wing Huen Ip; Željko Ivezić; Edward Jackson; Lynne Jones; Mario Juric; Mansi M. Kasliwal; S. Kaspi; Stephen Kaye; Michael S.P. Kelley; Marek Kowalski; Emily Kramer; Thomas Kupfer; Walter Landry; Russ R. Laher; Chien De Lee; Hsing Wen Lin; Zhong Yi Lin; Ragnhild Lunnan; Matteo Giomi; Ashish Mahabal; Peter Mao; Adam A. Miller; Serge Monkewitz; Patrick Murphy; Chow Choong Ngeow; Jakob Nordin; Peter Nugent; Eran Ofek; Maria T. Patterson; Bryan Penprase; Michael Porter; Ludwig Rauch; Umaa Rebbapragada; Dan Reiley; Mickael Rigault; Hector Rodriguez; Jan van Roestel; Ben Rusholme; Jakob van Santen; S. Schulze; David L. Shupe; Leo P. Singer; Maayane T. Soumagnac; Robert Stein; Jason Surace; Jesper Sollerman; Paula Szkody; F. Taddia; Scott Terek; Angela Van Sistine; Sjoert van Velzen; W. Thomas Vestrand; Richard Walters; Charlotte Ward; Quan Zhi Ye; Po Chieh Yu; Lin Yan; Jeffry Zolkower

doi:10.1088/1538-3873/aaecbe

The zwicky transient facility: System overview, performance, and first results

Eric C. Bellm, Shrinivas R. Kulkarni, Matthew J. Graham, Richard Dekany, Roger M. Smith, Reed Riddle, Frank J. Masci, George Helou, Thomas A. Prince, Scott M. Adams, C. Barbarino, Tom Barlow, James Bauer, Ron Beck, Justin Belicki, Rahul Biswas, Nadejda Blagorodnova, Dennis Bodewits, Bryce Bolin, Valery BrinnelTim Brooke, Brian Bue, Mattia Bulla, Rick Burruss, S. Bradley Cenko, Chan Kao Chang, Andrew Connolly, Michael Coughlin, John Cromer, Virginia Cunningham, Kishalay De, Alex Delacroix, Vandana Desai, Dmitry A. Duev, Gwendolyn Eadie, Tony L. Farnham, Michael Feeney, Ulrich Feindt, David Flynn, Anna Franckowiak, S. Frederick, C. Fremling, Avishay Gal-Yam, Suvi Gezari, Matteo Giomi, Daniel A. Goldstein, V. Zach Golkhou, Ariel Goobar, Steven Groom, Eugean Hacopians, David Hale, John Henning, Anna Y.Q. Ho, David Hover, Justin Howell, Tiara Hung, Daniela Huppenkothen, David Imel, Wing Huen Ip, Željko Ivezić, Edward Jackson, Lynne Jones, Mario Juric, Mansi M. Kasliwal, S. Kaspi, Stephen Kaye, Michael S.P. Kelley, Marek Kowalski, Emily Kramer, Thomas Kupfer, Walter Landry, Russ R. Laher, Chien De Lee, Hsing Wen Lin, Zhong Yi Lin, Ragnhild Lunnan, Matteo Giomi, Ashish Mahabal, Peter Mao, Adam A. Miller, Serge Monkewitz, Patrick Murphy, Chow Choong Ngeow, Jakob Nordin, Peter Nugent, Eran Ofek, Maria T. Patterson, Bryan Penprase, Michael Porter, Ludwig Rauch, Umaa Rebbapragada, Dan Reiley, Mickael Rigault, Hector Rodriguez, Jan van Roestel, Ben Rusholme, Jakob van Santen, S. Schulze, David L. Shupe, Leo P. Singer, Maayane T. Soumagnac, Robert Stein, Jason Surace, Jesper Sollerman, Paula Szkody, F. Taddia, Scott Terek, Angela Van Sistine, Sjoert van Velzen, W. Thomas Vestrand, Richard Walters, Charlotte Ward, Quan Zhi Ye, Po Chieh Yu, Lin Yan, Jeffry Zolkower

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

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Abstract

The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) is a new optical time-domain survey that uses the Palomar 48 inch Schmidt telescope. A custom-built wide-field camera provides a 47 deg ² field of view and 8 s readout time, yielding more than an order of magnitude improvement in survey speed relative to its predecessor survey, the Palomar Transient Factory. We describe the design and implementation of the camera and observing system. The ZTF data system at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center provides near-real-time reduction to identify moving and varying objects. We outline the analysis pipelines, data products, and associated archive. Finally, we present on-sky performance analysis and first scientific results from commissioning and the early survey. ZTF’s public alert stream will serve as a useful precursor for that of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	018002
Journal	Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Volume	131
Issue number	995
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/aaecbe
State	Published - Jan 1 2019
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Printed in the U.S.A.

Keywords

Instrumentation: photometers
Telescopes

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Bellm, E. C., Kulkarni, S. R., Graham, M. J., Dekany, R., Smith, R. M., Riddle, R., Masci, F. J., Helou, G., Prince, T. A., Adams, S. M., Barbarino, C., Barlow, T., Bauer, J., Beck, R., Belicki, J., Biswas, R., Blagorodnova, N., Bodewits, D., Bolin, B., ... Zolkower, J. (2019). The zwicky transient facility: System overview, performance, and first results. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 131(995), Article 018002. https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/aaecbe

Bellm, EC, Kulkarni, SR, Graham, MJ, Dekany, R, Smith, RM, Riddle, R, Masci, FJ, Helou, G, Prince, TA, Adams, SM, Barbarino, C, Barlow, T, Bauer, J, Beck, R, Belicki, J, Biswas, R, Blagorodnova, N, Bodewits, D, Bolin, B, Brinnel, V, Brooke, T, Bue, B, Bulla, M, Burruss, R, Cenko, SB, Chang, CK, Connolly, A, Coughlin, M, Cromer, J, Cunningham, V, De, K, Delacroix, A, Desai, V, Duev, DA, Eadie, G, Farnham, TL, Feeney, M, Feindt, U, Flynn, D, Franckowiak, A, Frederick, S, Fremling, C, Gal-Yam, A, Gezari, S, Giomi, M, Goldstein, DA, Golkhou, VZ, Goobar, A, Groom, S, Hacopians, E, Hale, D, Henning, J, Ho, AYQ, Hover, D, Howell, J, Hung, T, Huppenkothen, D, Imel, D, Ip, WH, Ivezić, Ž, Jackson, E, Jones, L, Juric, M, Kasliwal, MM, Kaspi, S, Kaye, S, Kelley, MSP, Kowalski, M, Kramer, E, Kupfer, T, Landry, W, Laher, RR, Lee, CD, Lin, HW, Lin, ZY, Lunnan, R, Giomi, M, Mahabal, A, Mao, P, Miller, AA, Monkewitz, S, Murphy, P, Ngeow, CC, Nordin, J, Nugent, P, Ofek, E, Patterson, MT, Penprase, B, Porter, M, Rauch, L, Rebbapragada, U, Reiley, D, Rigault, M, Rodriguez, H, van Roestel, J, Rusholme, B, van Santen, J, Schulze, S, Shupe, DL, Singer, LP, Soumagnac, MT, Stein, R, Surace, J, Sollerman, J, Szkody, P, Taddia, F, Terek, S, Van Sistine, A, van Velzen, S, Vestrand, WT, Walters, R, Ward, C, Ye, QZ, Yu, PC, Yan, L & Zolkower, J 2019, 'The zwicky transient facility: System overview, performance, and first results', Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, vol. 131, no. 995, 018002. https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/aaecbe

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doi = "10.1088/1538-3873/aaecbe",

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AU - Bellm, Eric C.

AU - Kulkarni, Shrinivas R.

AU - Graham, Matthew J.

AU - Dekany, Richard

AU - Smith, Roger M.

AU - Riddle, Reed

AU - Masci, Frank J.

AU - Helou, George

AU - Prince, Thomas A.

AU - Adams, Scott M.

AU - Barbarino, C.

AU - Barlow, Tom

AU - Bauer, James

AU - Beck, Ron

AU - Belicki, Justin

AU - Biswas, Rahul

AU - Blagorodnova, Nadejda

AU - Bodewits, Dennis

AU - Bolin, Bryce

AU - Brinnel, Valery

AU - Brooke, Tim

AU - Bue, Brian

AU - Bulla, Mattia

AU - Burruss, Rick

AU - Cenko, S. Bradley

AU - Chang, Chan Kao

AU - Connolly, Andrew

AU - Coughlin, Michael

AU - Cromer, John

AU - Cunningham, Virginia

AU - De, Kishalay

AU - Delacroix, Alex

AU - Desai, Vandana

AU - Duev, Dmitry A.

AU - Eadie, Gwendolyn

AU - Farnham, Tony L.

AU - Feeney, Michael

AU - Feindt, Ulrich

AU - Flynn, David

AU - Franckowiak, Anna

AU - Frederick, S.

AU - Fremling, C.

AU - Gal-Yam, Avishay

AU - Gezari, Suvi

AU - Giomi, Matteo

AU - Goldstein, Daniel A.

AU - Golkhou, V. Zach

AU - Goobar, Ariel

AU - Groom, Steven

AU - Hacopians, Eugean

AU - Hale, David

AU - Henning, John

AU - Ho, Anna Y.Q.

AU - Hover, David

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AU - Hung, Tiara

AU - Huppenkothen, Daniela

AU - Imel, David

AU - Ip, Wing Huen

AU - Ivezić, Željko

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AU - Jones, Lynne

AU - Juric, Mario

AU - Kasliwal, Mansi M.

AU - Kaspi, S.

AU - Kaye, Stephen

AU - Kelley, Michael S.P.

AU - Kowalski, Marek

AU - Kramer, Emily

AU - Kupfer, Thomas

AU - Landry, Walter

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AU - Lee, Chien De

AU - Lin, Hsing Wen

AU - Lin, Zhong Yi

AU - Lunnan, Ragnhild

AU - Giomi, Matteo

AU - Mahabal, Ashish

AU - Mao, Peter

AU - Miller, Adam A.

AU - Monkewitz, Serge

AU - Murphy, Patrick

AU - Ngeow, Chow Choong

AU - Nordin, Jakob

AU - Nugent, Peter

AU - Ofek, Eran

AU - Patterson, Maria T.

AU - Penprase, Bryan

AU - Porter, Michael

AU - Rauch, Ludwig

AU - Rebbapragada, Umaa

AU - Reiley, Dan

AU - Rigault, Mickael

AU - Rodriguez, Hector

AU - van Roestel, Jan

AU - Rusholme, Ben

AU - van Santen, Jakob

AU - Schulze, S.

AU - Shupe, David L.

AU - Singer, Leo P.

AU - Soumagnac, Maayane T.

AU - Stein, Robert

AU - Surace, Jason

AU - Sollerman, Jesper

AU - Szkody, Paula

AU - Taddia, F.

AU - Terek, Scott

AU - Van Sistine, Angela

AU - van Velzen, Sjoert

AU - Vestrand, W. Thomas

AU - Walters, Richard

AU - Ward, Charlotte

AU - Ye, Quan Zhi

AU - Yu, Po Chieh

AU - Yan, Lin

AU - Zolkower, Jeffry

PY - 2019/1/1

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N2 - The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) is a new optical time-domain survey that uses the Palomar 48 inch Schmidt telescope. A custom-built wide-field camera provides a 47 deg 2 field of view and 8 s readout time, yielding more than an order of magnitude improvement in survey speed relative to its predecessor survey, the Palomar Transient Factory. We describe the design and implementation of the camera and observing system. The ZTF data system at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center provides near-real-time reduction to identify moving and varying objects. We outline the analysis pipelines, data products, and associated archive. Finally, we present on-sky performance analysis and first scientific results from commissioning and the early survey. ZTF’s public alert stream will serve as a useful precursor for that of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.

AB - The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) is a new optical time-domain survey that uses the Palomar 48 inch Schmidt telescope. A custom-built wide-field camera provides a 47 deg 2 field of view and 8 s readout time, yielding more than an order of magnitude improvement in survey speed relative to its predecessor survey, the Palomar Transient Factory. We describe the design and implementation of the camera and observing system. The ZTF data system at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center provides near-real-time reduction to identify moving and varying objects. We outline the analysis pipelines, data products, and associated archive. Finally, we present on-sky performance analysis and first scientific results from commissioning and the early survey. ZTF’s public alert stream will serve as a useful precursor for that of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.

KW - Instrumentation: photometers

KW - Telescopes

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DO - 10.1088/1538-3873/aaecbe

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85061942576

SN - 0004-6280

VL - 131

JO - Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

JF - Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

IS - 995

M1 - 018002

ER -

The zwicky transient facility: System overview, performance, and first results

Abstract

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Keywords

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