Subject: Spitzer HzRG Program update


Greetings Spitzer Radio Galaxians --
 
This is a brief update on the status of our Spitzer high-redshift radio
galaxy program.
 
1. First off, congratulations:  our first data was taken two days ago! Now
that we made it through the hurdle of ensuring that our observations do
not conflict with other GO and GTO program observations, we're being
scheduled.  [We lost two observations to deeper GTO programs: IRAC
observations of B20902+34 and PKS1138-262; presumably the PI's of those
programs are co-I's on our program.] Between now and November 6th, we have
43 observations scheduled (see attached)!  The onslaught has begun.
 
2. Nick Seymour will be arriving in Pasadena in January to begin a postdoc
on this project.  Nick got his Ph.D. with Ian McHardy (Southampton),
working on extremely deep radio observations of a field with very deep XMM
observations.  Nick is finishing off a postdoc with Brigitte
Rocca-Volmerange (IAP) on deep ISO observations.  I heartily welcome Nick
to the project!
 
3. Several of us (Nick, Carlos, Joel, Alessandro, Andrew, Brigitte, and I)
met together at the IAP the week before last.  We made plans for how to
organize the project, deal with the data, share the data, and first plans
for the data:
 
 - Nick will create a (locked) webpage with processed versions of the
   2D multi-wavelength images for our 70 HzRGs.  This will be an essential
   way to keep track of the Spitzer progress and allow easy sharing of
   the Spitzer (and other wavelength) images within the group.  In
   particular, in order to fully exploit the mid-IR Spitzer data, we'll
   want to have the 2D images at other (optical/near-IR) wavelengths.
   Nick/Andrew/et al. will amass the relatively easily accessible HST
   images for our samples, but expect to be contacted to dust off old
   ground-based imaging.
 - The webpage will also include an ASCII format table with the
   multiwavelength photometry for the sources.  This will be the basic
   data product, useful for making rest-frame K-z diagrams, fitting with
   stellar evolutionary code, fitting with dust models, etc...  A primary
   concern will be how to match photometry across our broad wavelength
   range (radio to X-ray); this will likely be the first hurdle to jump.
 - By the start of November, Spitzer will have taken data through all
   three cameras on 4 of our HzRGs - 4c23.56, 4c60.07, txj1908+7220, and
   wnj1911+6342.  The plan is for Carlos to lead a paper with a short
   time scale on one (or a few) of these targets, where we can work out
   some of the issues and methodology that we'll use for the whole sample,
   and show some of the science possible with our data.
 - We put in coordinated proposals to VLT and the Palomar 200" to obtain
   photometry straddling the 4000 Angstrom break for the sample, with
   VLT targeting the Southern sources and Palomar targeting the Northern
   sources.  These data will be useful for the stellar population
   modeling as well as for looking for associated large-scale
   structure.  Carlos and Joel did a very careful job figuring out what
   data already exists and need not be reproduced, as well as select 
   filters to avoid strong emission lines.  Joel and Carlos also put in a
   VLT proposal to get polarimetry data on many of these sources.
 - I'll create an e-mail exploder for the team.
 
As an old HzRG afficionado, as most of us are, I'm excited to soon be
batting around nostalgic esoteric names like mg2144+1928, 4c60.07,
mrc2025-218, as well as less esoteric old friends like 4c41.17.
 
Cheers and welcome to the data'd side of this program,
 
Daniel