The VIMOS VLT deep survey The K -band follow-up in the 0226-04 field

S. Temporin, A. Iovino, M. Bolzonella, H. J. McCracken, M. Scodeggio, B. Garilli, D. Bottini, V. Le Brun, O. Le Fèvre, D. Maccagni, J.-P. Picat, R. Scaramella, L. Tresse, G. Vettolani, A. Zanichelli, C. Adami, S. Arnouts, S. Bardelli, A. Cappi, S. Charlot, P. Ciliegi, T. Contini, O. Cucciati, S. Foucaud, P. Franzetti, I. Gavignaud, L. Guzzo, O. Ilbert, B. Marano, C. Marinoni, A. Mazure, B. Meneux, R. Merighi, S. Paltani, R. Pellò, A. Pollo, L. Pozzetti, M. Radovich, D. Vergani, G. Zamorani, E. Zucca, M. Bondi, A. Bongiorno, J. Brinchmann, S. de la Torre, F. Lamareille, Y. Mellier, C. J. Walcher

Abstract
Aims. We present a new Ks-band survey that represents a significant extension to the previous wide-field Ks-band imaging survey within the 0226-04 field of the VIMOS-VLT deep survey (VVDS). The new data add ∼458 arcmin2 to the previous imaging program, thus allowing us to cover a total contiguous area of ∼600 arcmin2 within this field.
Methods. Sources were identified both directly on the final K-band mosaic image and on the corresponding, deep χ2 −g'r'i' image from the CFHT Legacy Survey in order to reduce contamination, while ensuring compilation of a truly K-selected catalogue down to the completeness limit of the Ks-band. The newly determined Ks-band magnitudes are used in combination with the ancillary multiwavelength data for determining accurate photometric redshifts.
Results. The final catalogue totals ∼52 000 sources, out of which ∼4400 have a spectroscopic redshift from the VVDS first epoch survey. The catalogue is 90% complete down to KVega = 20.5 mag. We present Ks-band galaxy counts and angular correlation function measurements down to this magnitude limit. Our results are in good agreement with previously published work. We show that using K magnitudes to determine photometric redshifts significantly lowers the incidence of catastrophic errors. The data presented in this paper are publicly available through the CENCOS database.

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Volume 482, Page 81
April 2008

DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20078526
ADS Bibliographic code: 2003A%26A...410...17M