First Insights into the Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic Legacy Survey (SWIRE) Galaxy Populations

September 2004 • 2004ApJS..154...54L

Authors • Lonsdale, Carol • Polletta, Maria del Carmen • Surace, Jason • Shupe, Dave • Fang, Fan • Xu, C. Kevin • Smith, Harding E. • Siana, Brian • Rowan-Robinson, Michael • Babbedge, Tom • Oliver, Seb • Pozzi, Francesca • Davoodi, Payam • Owen, Frazer • Padgett, Deborah • Frayer, Dave • Jarrett, Tom • Masci, Frank • O'Linger, JoAnne • Conrow, Tim • Farrah, Duncan • Morrison, Glenn • Gautier, Nick • Franceschini, Alberto • Berta, Stefano • Perez-Fournon, Ismael • Hatziminaoglou, Evanthia • Afonso-Luis, Alejandro • Dole, Herve • Stacey, Gordon • Serjeant, Steve • Pierre, Marguerite • Griffin, Matt • Puetter, Rick

Abstract • We characterize the Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic Legacy Survey (SWIRE) galaxy populations in the SWIRE validation field within the Lockman Hole, based on the 3.6-24 μm Spitzer data and deep U, g', r', i' optical imaging within an area ~1/3 deg² for ~16,000 Spitzer SWIRE sources. The entire SWIRE survey will discover over 2.3 million galaxies at 3.6 μm and almost 350,000 at 24 μm ~70,000 of these will be five-band 3.6-24 μm detections. The colors cover a broad range, generally well represented by redshifted spectral energy distributions of known galaxy populations; however, significant samples of unusually blue objects in the [3.6]-[4.5] color are found, as well as many objects very red in the 3.6-24 μm mid-IR. Nine of these are investigated and are interpreted as star-forming systems, starbursts, and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from z=0.37 to 2.8, with luminosities from L_IR=10^10.3 to 10^13.7 L_solar.

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Dave Shupe

Senior Scientist