Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit 2009-14 (revision Aug 09)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Institute of Astronomy
Abstract
Observational astronomy in the UK is in a strong position with the advent of the pioneering near-infrared (NIR) survey facilities of VISTA and WFCAM and the opportunities for detailed followup provided by membership of ESO. Significant advances in astronomy have always relied heavily on surveys of the sky from radio, through optical to X-ray wavelengths and the new era of deep NIR surveys is the latest stage in this progression. It is also one where the UK has both a substantial lead and the requisite expertise in the Cambridge and Edinburgh survey units to exploit this advance in wide field astronomy. Recognising the benefits of this, ESO are now also heavily committed to public surveys through the VST and VISTA telescopes and to wider exploitation of expertly processed and archived science data products. Members of the Cambridge Astronomy Survey Unit (CASU) have played a leading role in survey astronomy, not only by pioneering techniques to optimally extract knowledge from survey data, but also by taking a proactive role in exploiting this information to produce world-leading research. This synergy and feedback between data processing and exploitation is crucial. It has been a deliberate strategy that has provided the main strength and motivation of the group. In the modern era wide-field digital survey cameras produce enormous volumes of data that are way beyond the resource capacity and analysis skills of non-specialist astronomers. Systematic pipeline processing, calibration and legacy curation of observational data are a fundamental requirement of an end-to-end integrated observing strategy and a crucial component of a global Virtual Observatory. The CASU facility has been developed to allow an optimal ergonomic solution to this avalanche of data, through access to multi-Tbyte data storage systems and expert pipeline processing systems. Continuing development of the CASU processing and analysis pipelines will not only benefit the UK astronomy community now, but will also be relevant in the era of Extremely Large Telescopes and the radio Square Kilometer Array, by developing the infrastructure to analyse the data from these facilities. This rolling grant proposal builds on the tremendous advances already made and requests funding for CASU for the period 2008-2013 for the following activities: continued operation and maintenance of the WFCAM data processing and calibration pipeline; advanced development, enhancement, and operation of the UK VISTA pipelines; maintenance and upgrades for the VDFS ESO pipeline deliverables; operational support and pipeline processing for the UK-led VST public surveys in the southern hemisphere and the equivalent precursor surveys in the northern hemisphere; support to provide a range of science data products and services as a UK contribution to the global Virtual Observatory initiative; continuation of support for maintaining and developing the UK ground-based telescope archives; and a modest research component for the research-active members of the group.
People |
ORCID iD |
Michael Irwin (Principal Investigator) | |
Nicholas Walton (Researcher) |
Publications
Gilmore G
(2022)
The Gaia -ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey: Motivation, implementation, GIRAFFE data processing, analysis, and final data products
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Randich S
(2022)
The Gaia -ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey: Implementation, data products, open cluster survey, science, and legacy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Monguió M
(2020)
IGAPS: the merged IPHAS and UVEX optical surveys of the northern Galactic plane
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Wright A
(2019)
KiDS+VIKING-450: A new combined optical and near-infrared dataset for cosmology and astrophysics
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Wardlow J
(2013)
HerMES: CANDIDATE GRAVITATIONALLY LENSED GALAXIES AND LENSING STATISTICS AT SUBMILLIMETER WAVELENGTHS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Mackey A
(2013)
Young accreted globular clusters in the outer halo of M31
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Starkenburg E
(2013)
The extremely low-metallicity tail of the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Chapman S
(2013)
Dynamics in the satellite system of Triangulum: is And XXII a dwarf satellite of M33?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rowan-Robinson M
(2013)
Revised SWIRE photometric redshifts
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lewis G
(2013)
PAndAS IN THE MIST: THE STELLAR AND GASEOUS MASS WITHIN THE HALOS OF M31 AND M33
in The Astrophysical Journal
Banerji M
(2013)
Hyperluminous reddened broad-line quasars at z ~ 2 from the VISTA Hemisphere Survey and WISE all-sky survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Lo Faro B
(2013)
THE COMPLEX PHYSICS OF DUSTY STAR-FORMING GALAXIES AT HIGH REDSHIFTS AS REVEALED BY HERSCHEL AND SPITZER
in The Astrophysical Journal
Goulding N
(2013)
J-band variability of M dwarfs in the WFCAM Transit Survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ibata RA
(2013)
A vast, thin plane of corotating dwarf galaxies orbiting the Andromeda galaxy.
in Nature
Jarvis M
(2013)
The VISTA Deep Extragalactic Observations (VIDEO) survey?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cockcroft R
(2012)
Unearthing foundations of a cosmic cathedral: searching the stars for M33's halo
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nicuesa Guelbenzu A
(2012)
Multi-color observations of short GRB afterglows: 20 events observed between 2007 and 2010
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sibbons L
(2012)
The AGB population of NGC 6822: distribution and the C/M ratio from JHK photometry
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Gauza B
(2012)
A new L dwarf member of the moderately metal poor triple system HD 221356 A new L dwarf member of the HD 221356 system
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bernard E
(2012)
A deep, wide-field study of Holmberg II with Suprime-Cam: evidence for ram pressure stripping A wide-field study of Holmberg II
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pierini D
(2012)
First simultaneous optical/near-infrared imaging of an X-ray selected, high-redshift cluster of galaxies with GROND The galaxy population of XMMU J0338.7 + 0030 at z = 1.1?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Birkby J
(2012)
Discovery and characterization of detached M dwarf eclipsing binaries in the WFCAM Transit Survey WTS: masses and radii of M dwarf EBs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
De Boer T
(2012)
The star formation and chemical evolution history of the sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Aaltonen T
(2012)
Search for anomalous production of multiple leptons in association with W and Z bosons at CDF
in Physical Review D
Mahaffy P
(2012)
The Sample Analysis at Mars Investigation and Instrument Suite
in Space Science Reviews
Banerji M
(2012)
Heavily reddened quasars at z ~ 2 in the UKIDSS Large Area Survey: a transitional phase in AGN evolution Heavily reddened quasars at z ~ 2 in UKIDSS LAS
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Tanvir N
(2012)
The structure of star clusters in the outer halo of M31 Halo star clusters of M31
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rossi A
(2012)
A deep search for the host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts with no detected optical afterglow
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
North P
(2012)
Manganese in dwarf spheroidal galaxies
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Saito R
(2012)
VVV DR1: The first data release of the Milky Way bulge and southern plane from the near-infrared ESO public survey VISTA variables in the Vía Láctea
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Mislis D
(2012)
Estimating transiting exoplanet masses from precise optical photometry
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Battaglia G
(2012)
THE EXTENSIVE AGE GRADIENT OF THE CARINA DWARF GALAXY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Casewell S
(2012)
A photometric and astrometric investigation of the brown dwarfs in Blanco 1 Blanco 1 brown dwarfs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nefs S
(2012)
Four ultra-short-period eclipsing M-dwarf binaries in the WFCAM Transit Survey Eclipsing M-dwarf binaries in WTS
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Findlay J
(2012)
Selection constraints on high-redshift quasar searches in the VISTA Kilo-degree Infrared Galaxy survey Quasar selection in VIKING
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barker M
(2012)
Quantifying the faint structure of galaxies: the late-type spiral NGC 2403?†The Faint Structure of NGC 2403
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Greiss S
(2012)
INITIAL DATA RELEASE OF THE KEPLER -INT SURVEY
in The Astronomical Journal
Powell S
(2012)
The periodic spectroscopic variability of FU Orionis Periodic spectroscopic variability of FU Ori
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Battaglia G
(2012)
A wide-area view of the Phoenix dwarf galaxy from Very Large Telescope/FORS imaging? Survey of the Phoenix transition type
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mislis D
(2012)
A massive exoplanet candidate around KOI-13: independent confirmation by ellipsoidal variations A massive exoplanet candidate around KOI-13
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Conn B
(2012)
SLICING THE MONOCEROS OVERDENSITY WITH SUPRIME-CAM
in The Astrophysical Journal
Savaglio S
(2012)
Supersolar metal abundances in two galaxies at z ~ 3.57 revealed by the GRB 090323 afterglow spectrum? Supersolar metallicity in two z~ 3.57 galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Casewell S
(2012)
WD0837+185: THE FORMATION AND EVOLUTION OF AN EXTREME MASS-RATIO WHITE-DWARF-BROWN-DWARF BINARY IN PRAESEPE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Leaman R
(2012)
THE RESOLVED STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS OF AN ISOLATED DWARF GALAXY: A VLT AND KECK SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY OF WLM
in The Astrophysical Journal
Verbeek K
(2012)
A first catalogue of automatically selected ultraviolet-excess sources from the UVEX survey A first catalogue of UVEX UV-excess sources
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bernard E
(2012)
The star formation history and dust content in the far outer disc of M31? The far outer disc of M31
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Oliver S
(2012)
The Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey: HerMES HerMES
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Venn K
(2012)
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS AND THE INHOMOGENEOUS CHEMICAL EVOLUTION OF THE CARINA DWARF GALAXY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Koposov S
(2012)
THE SAGITTARIUS STREAMS IN THE SOUTHERN GALACTIC HEMISPHERE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Description | The primary goals of this proposal were to provide a cost effective solution to the processing and rapid delivery to the astronomical community of key science data products from ESO imaging survey telescopes. This involved the development and operational execution of advanced processing modules, and also updates to and maintenance of pipeline software, modules and documentation for delivery to ESO as part of the UK in-kind contribution. These elements are crucial components for ensuring the full scientific exploitation of the surveys carried out on these telescopes, the majority of which are led by UK research teams, and all of which require world-class data products. |
Exploitation Route | Fully calibrated and optimally processed data are crucial ingredients for full science exploitation of observational data. The outputs from the CASU processing pipelines are world-class and provide the necessary inputs for a broad range of the subsequent astronomical research that is initiated by having these products available. These data products are used throughout the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. |
Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Other |
URL | http://casu.ast.cam.ac.uk/surveys-projects/ |
Description | The key objectives of the award were to enable CASU to provide cost effective and timely delivery of key data products from imaging surveys (WFCAM, VISTA, and VST) and to develop the infrastructure required to do the same for the next generation of multi-object spectroscopic surveys. These are essential requirements for full science exploitation. Both strands of these objectives have been fully realised. |
First Year Of Impact | 2009 |
Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Other |
Impact Types | Cultural |
Description | MoU JACH |
Organisation | Joint Astronomy Centre |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | CASU undertakes data processing for all WFCAM data obtained on UKIRT |
Collaborator Contribution | CASU developed the data processing system and operates it on a 24/7 basis. |
Impact | The main beneficiary is the UKIDSS science consortium who have access to fully processed and calibrated near-infrared survey data. |
Description | Vista Data Flow System |
Organisation | Royal Observatory Edinburgh |
Department | Wide Field Astronomy Unit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Collaborative venture to process and archive ALL data obtained on the VISTA telescope run by ESO in Paranal. |
Collaborator Contribution | CASU handle all the data processing and calibration. |
Impact | All of the VISTA public survey programmes are dependent on this collaboration. |
Start Year | 2009 |
Description | Media interviews |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Multiple interviews over the years with journalists, radio and TV media. Unknown |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009,2010,2011,2012,2013 |
Description | Talks to Astronomy Societies |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talks to mainly amateur astronomy societies around the country. These are well-attended 50-100 participants and include much discussion and question/answer sessions. Stimulates interest in science. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013 |