The e-MERLIN Legacy programme
SuperCLASS: the Super-CLuster Assited Shear Survey
- a weak lensing deep field using e-MERLIN
- a weak lensing deep field using e-MERLIN
Richard Battye (JBCA, Manchester)
Rob Beswick (JBCA, Manchester), Michael Brown Ian Browne (JBCA, Manchester), Simon Garrington (JBCA, Manchester), Neal Jackson (JBCA, Manchester), Scott Kay (JBCA, Manchester), Paddy Leahy (JBCA, Manchester), Anita Richards (JBCA, Manchester), Peter Wilkinson (JBCA, Manchester), Filipe Abdalla (UCL), David Bacon (Portsmouth), Bob Nichol (Portsmouth), Steve Myers (NRAO, Socorro), Steve Rawlings (Oxford), Anna Scaife (Southampton), Ian Smail (Durham)
Abstract
We propose a deep wide-area survey designed to detect the effects of weak lensing in a super-cluster
region covering 1.75 sq. deg where there are 5 known clusters. Using a sophisticated mosaicing strategy we
expect to achieve an r.m.s of 4 µJy in order to reach a source density ~1 sq. arcmin. Using standard, and
new techniques involving polarization, these data will allow us to probe the dark matter distribution in the
region and, by defining a grid of rotation measures, the magnetic field structure. We will propose a program
of multi-wavelength observations in order to probe the star-formation and AGN activity in the ~ 104 sources
we expect to detect which will complement the narrower, but deeper e-MERGE survey. The program will
involve the development of the polarization, mosaicing and phase referencing capabilities of e-MERLIN and
the results will yield information which will guide the design of surveys with the SKA.
