The Dark Energy Survey and operations: Year 1

H. T. Diehl; T. M. C. Abbott; J. Annis; R. Armstrong; L. Baruah; A. Bermeo; G. Bernstein; E. Beynon; C. Bruderer; E. J. Buckley-Geer; H. Campbell; D. Capozzi; M. Carter; R. Casas; L. Clerkin; R. Covarrubias; C. Cuhna; C. D'Andrea; L. da Costa; R. Das; D. L. DePoy; J. Dietrich; A. Drlica-Wagner; A. Elliott; T. Eifler; J. Estrada; J. Etherington; B. L. Flaugher; J. Frieman; A. Fausti Neto; M. Gelman; D. Gerdes; D. Gruen; R. Gruendl; J. Hao; H. Head; J. Helsby; K. Hoffman; K. Honscheid; D. James; M. Johnson; T. Kacprzac; J. Katsaros; R. Kennedy; S. Kent; R. Kessler; A. Kim; E. Krause; R. Kron; S. Kuhlmann; A. Kunder; T. Li; H. Lin; N. Maccrann; M. March; J. Marshall; E. Neilsen; P. Nugent; P. Martini; P. Melchior; F. Menanteau; R. C. Nichol; B. Nord; R. Ogando; L. Old; A. Papadopoulos; K. Patton; D. Petravick; A. A. Plazas; R. Poulton; A. Pujol; K. Reil; T. Rigby; A. Romer; A. Roodman; P. Rooney; E. Sanchez Alvaro; S. Serrano; E. Sheldon; A. Smith; R. C. Smith; M. Soares-Santos; M. Soumagnac; H. Spinka; E. Suchyta; D. Tucker; A. R. Walker; W. Wester; M. Wiesner; H. Wilcox; R. Williams; B. Yanny; Y. -Y. Zhang

doi:10.1117/12.2056982

6 August 2014 The Dark Energy Survey and operations: Year 1

H. T. Diehl, T. M. C. Abbott, J. Annis, R. Armstrong, L. Baruah, A. Bermeo, G. Bernstein, E. Beynon, C. Bruderer, E. J. Buckley-Geer, H. Campbell, D. Capozzi, M. Carter, R. Casas, L. Clerkin, R. Covarrubias, C. Cuhna, C. D'Andrea, L. da Costa, R. Das, D. L. DePoy, J. Dietrich, A. Drlica-Wagner, A. Elliott, T. Eifler, J. Estrada, J. Etherington, B. L. Flaugher, J. Frieman, A. Fausti Neto, M. Gelman, D. Gerdes, D. Gruen, R. Gruendl, J. Hao, H. Head, J. Helsby, K. Hoffman, K. Honscheid, D. James, M. Johnson, T. Kacprzac, J. Katsaros, R. Kennedy, S. Kent, R. Kessler, A. Kim, E. Krause, R. Kron, S. Kuhlmann, A. Kunder, T. Li, H. Lin, N. Maccrann, M. March, J. Marshall, E. Neilsen, P. Nugent, P. Martini, P. Melchior, F. Menanteau, R. C. Nichol, B. Nord, R. Ogando, L. Old, A. Papadopoulos, K. Patton, D. Petravick, A. A. Plazas, R. Poulton, A. Pujol, K. Reil, T. Rigby, A. Romer, A. Roodman, P. Rooney, E. Sanchez Alvaro, S. Serrano, E. Sheldon, A. Smith, R. C. Smith, M. Soares-Santos, M. Soumagnac, H. Spinka, E. Suchyta, D. Tucker, A. R. Walker, W. Wester, M. Wiesner, H. Wilcox, R. Williams, B. Yanny, Y. -Y. Zhang

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9149, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems V; 91490V (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2056982
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2014, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

The Dark Energy Survey (DES) is a next generation optical survey aimed at understanding the accelerating expansion of the universe using four complementary methods: weak gravitational lensing, galaxy cluster counts, baryon acoustic oscillations, and Type Ia supernovae. To perform the 5000 sq-degree wide field and 30 sq-degree supernova surveys, the DES Collaboration built the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), a 3 square-degree, 570-Megapixel CCD camera that was installed at the prime focus of the Blanco 4-meter telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO). DES started its first observing season on August 31, 2013 and observed for 105 nights through mid-February 2014. This paper describes DES “Year 1” (Y1), the strategy and goals for the first year's data, provides an outline of the operations procedures, lists the efficiency of survey operations and the causes of lost observing time, provides details about the quality of the first year's data, and hints at the “Year 2” plan and outlook.

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H. T. Diehl, T. M. C. Abbott, J. Annis, R. Armstrong, L. Baruah, A. Bermeo, G. Bernstein, E. Beynon, C. Bruderer, E. J. Buckley-Geer, H. Campbell, D. Capozzi, M. Carter, R. Casas, L. Clerkin, R. Covarrubias, C. Cuhna, C. D'Andrea, L. da Costa, R. Das, D. L. DePoy, J. Dietrich, A. Drlica-Wagner, A. Elliott, T. Eifler, J. Estrada, J. Etherington, B. L. Flaugher, J. Frieman, A. Fausti Neto, M. Gelman, D. Gerdes, D. Gruen, R. Gruendl, J. Hao, H. Head, J. Helsby, K. Hoffman, K. Honscheid, D. James, M. Johnson, T. Kacprzac, J. Katsaros, R. Kennedy, S. Kent, R. Kessler, A. Kim, E. Krause, R. Kron, S. Kuhlmann, A. Kunder, T. Li, H. Lin, N. Maccrann, M. March, J. Marshall, E. Neilsen, P. Nugent, P. Martini, P. Melchior, F. Menanteau, R. C. Nichol, B. Nord, R. Ogando, L. Old, A. Papadopoulos, K. Patton, D. Petravick, A. A. Plazas, R. Poulton, A. Pujol, K. Reil, T. Rigby, A. Romer, A. Roodman, P. Rooney, E. Sanchez Alvaro, S. Serrano, E. Sheldon, A. Smith, R. C. Smith, M. Soares-Santos, M. Soumagnac, H. Spinka, E. Suchyta, D. Tucker, A. R. Walker, W. Wester, M. Wiesner, H. Wilcox, R. Williams, B. Yanny, and Y. -Y. Zhang "The Dark Energy Survey and operations: Year 1", Proc. SPIE 9149, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems V, 91490V (6 August 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2056982

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