The ASKAP Variables and Slow Transients (VAST) Pilot Survey. (12th October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Murphy, Tara; Kaplan, David L.; Stewart, Adam J.; O'Brien, Andrew; Lenc, Emil; Pintaldi, Sergio; Pritchard, Joshua; Dobie, Dougal; Fox, Archibald; Leung, James K.; An, Tao; Bell, Martin E.; Broderick, Jess W.; Chatterjee, Shami; Dai, Shi; d'Antonio, Daniele; Doyle, Gerry; Gaensler, B. M.; Heald, George; Horesh, Assaf; Jones, Megan L.; McConnell, David; Moss, Vanessa A.; Raja, Wasim; Ramsay, Gavin; Ryder, Stuart; Sadler, Elaine M.; Sivakoff, Gregory R.; Wang, Yuanming; Wang, Ziteng; Wheatland, Michael S.; Whiting, Matthew; Allison, James R.; Anderson, C. S.; Ball, Lewis; Bannister, K.; Bock, D. C.-J.; Bolton, R.; Bunton, J. D.; Chekkala, R.; Chippendale, A. P; Cooray, F. R.; Gupta, N.; Hayman, D. B.; Jeganathan, K.; Koribalski, B.; Lee-Waddell, K.; Mahony, Elizabeth K.; Marvil, J.; McClure-Griffiths, N. M.; Mirtschin, P.; Ng, A.; Pearce, S.; Phillips, C.; Voronkov, M. A.;
• Is Part Of: Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia. Volume 38(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-10-12
• Subjects: pulsars -- radio transient sources -- sky surveys -- stars; Astronomy -- Periodicals; Southern sky (Astronomy) -- Periodicals; Astrophysics -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 520.5
• DOI: 10.1017/pasa.2021.44
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1323-3580

Abstract

Abstract: The Variables and Slow Transients Survey (VAST) on the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) is designed to detect highly variable and transient radio sources on timescales from 5 s to $\sim\!5$ yr. In this paper, we present the survey description, observation strategy and initial results from the VAST Phase I Pilot Survey. This pilot survey consists of $\sim\!162$ h of observations conducted at a central frequency of 888 MHz between 2019 August and 2020 August, with a typical rms sensitivity of $0.24\ \mathrm{mJy\ beam}^{-1}$ and angular resolution of $12-20$ arcseconds. There are 113 fields, each of which was observed for 12 min integration time, with between 5 and 13 repeats, with cadences between 1 day and 8 months. The total area of the pilot survey footprint is 5 131 square degrees, covering six distinct regions of the sky. An initial search of two of these regions, totalling 1 646 square degrees, revealed 28 highly variable and/or transient sources. Seven of these are known pulsars, including the millisecond pulsar J2039–5617. Another seven are stars, four of which have no previously reported radio detection (SCR J0533–4257, LEHPM 2-783, UCAC3 89–412162 and 2MASS J22414436–6119311). Of the remaining 14 sources, two are active galactic nuclei, six are associated with galaxies and the other six have no multi-wavelength counterparts and are yet to be identified.