The zwicky transient facility: Surveys and scheduler

Eric C. Bellm; Shrinivas R. Kulkarni; Tom Barlow; Ulrich Feindt; Matthew J. Graham; Ariel Goobar; Thomas Kupfer; Chow Choong Ngeow; Peter Nugent; Eran Ofek; Thomas A. Prince; Reed Riddle; Richard Walters; Quan Zhi Ye

doi:10.1088/1538-3873/ab0c2a

The zwicky transient facility: Surveys and scheduler

Eric C. Bellm, Shrinivas R. Kulkarni, Tom Barlow, Ulrich Feindt, Matthew J. Graham, Ariel Goobar, Thomas Kupfer, Chow Choong Ngeow, Peter Nugent, Eran Ofek, Thomas A. Prince, Reed Riddle, Richard Walters, Quan Zhi Ye

Graduate Institute of Astronomy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

211 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present a novel algorithm for scheduling the observations of time-domain imaging surveys. Our integer linear programming approach optimizes an observing plan for an entire night by assigning targets to temporal blocks, enabling strict control of the number of exposures obtained per field and minimizing filter changes. A subsequent optimization step minimizes slew times between each observation. Our optimization metric self-consistently weights contributions from time-varying airmass, seeing, and sky brightness to maximize the transient discovery rate. We describe the implementation of this algorithm on the surveys of the Zwicky Transient Facility and present its on-sky performance.

Original language	English
Article number	068003
Journal	Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Volume	131
Issue number	1000
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/ab0c2a
State	Published - Jun 2019

Keywords

Methods: observational
Surveys

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10.1088/1538-3873/ab0c2a

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title = "The zwicky transient facility: Surveys and scheduler",

abstract = "We present a novel algorithm for scheduling the observations of time-domain imaging surveys. Our integer linear programming approach optimizes an observing plan for an entire night by assigning targets to temporal blocks, enabling strict control of the number of exposures obtained per field and minimizing filter changes. A subsequent optimization step minimizes slew times between each observation. Our optimization metric self-consistently weights contributions from time-varying airmass, seeing, and sky brightness to maximize the transient discovery rate. We describe the implementation of this algorithm on the surveys of the Zwicky Transient Facility and present its on-sky performance.",

keywords = "Methods: observational, Surveys",

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T1 - The zwicky transient facility

T2 - Surveys and scheduler

AU - Bellm, Eric C.

AU - Kulkarni, Shrinivas R.

AU - Barlow, Tom

AU - Feindt, Ulrich

AU - Graham, Matthew J.

AU - Goobar, Ariel

AU - Kupfer, Thomas

AU - Ngeow, Chow Choong

AU - Nugent, Peter

AU - Ofek, Eran

AU - Prince, Thomas A.

AU - Riddle, Reed

AU - Walters, Richard

AU - Ye, Quan Zhi

PY - 2019/6

Y1 - 2019/6

N2 - We present a novel algorithm for scheduling the observations of time-domain imaging surveys. Our integer linear programming approach optimizes an observing plan for an entire night by assigning targets to temporal blocks, enabling strict control of the number of exposures obtained per field and minimizing filter changes. A subsequent optimization step minimizes slew times between each observation. Our optimization metric self-consistently weights contributions from time-varying airmass, seeing, and sky brightness to maximize the transient discovery rate. We describe the implementation of this algorithm on the surveys of the Zwicky Transient Facility and present its on-sky performance.

AB - We present a novel algorithm for scheduling the observations of time-domain imaging surveys. Our integer linear programming approach optimizes an observing plan for an entire night by assigning targets to temporal blocks, enabling strict control of the number of exposures obtained per field and minimizing filter changes. A subsequent optimization step minimizes slew times between each observation. Our optimization metric self-consistently weights contributions from time-varying airmass, seeing, and sky brightness to maximize the transient discovery rate. We describe the implementation of this algorithm on the surveys of the Zwicky Transient Facility and present its on-sky performance.

KW - Methods: observational

KW - Surveys

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U2 - 10.1088/1538-3873/ab0c2a

DO - 10.1088/1538-3873/ab0c2a

M3 - 期刊論文

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SN - 0004-6280

VL - 131

JO - Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

JF - Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

IS - 1000

M1 - 068003

ER -

The zwicky transient facility: Surveys and scheduler

Abstract

Keywords

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