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Roman eXtreme Deep Field (RXDF): transformative science at Roman's limit
Program ID 2001
Science Category Galaxies
Program Type GAS
Hours 386.41
Category Large
Principal Investigator Haojing Yan
PI Institution University of Missouri - Columbia
Co-Investigators
  • Anton Koekemoer (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Yue Shen (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
  • Rodrigo Angulo (Johns Hopkins University)
  • Micaela Bagley (University of Texas, Austin)
  • Franz Bauer (Space Science Institute / Universidad de Tarapacá)
  • Jessica Berkheimer (Arizona State University)
  • Pedro Bernardinelli (University of São Paulo)
  • Rachel Bezanson (University of Pittsburgh)
  • Alex Borlaff (NASA Ames Research Center)
  • Rebecca Bowler (University of Manchester)
  • Larry Bradley (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Niel Brandt (Pennsylvania State University)
  • Adam Burgasser (University of California, San Diego)
  • Timothy Carleton (Arizona State University)
  • Delondrae Carter (Arizona State University)
  • Stefano Casertano (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Seth Cohen (Arizona State University)
  • Chris Conselice (University of Manchester)
  • Kyle Cook (University of Louisville)
  • Jeff Cooke (Swinburne University of Technology)
  • David Coulter (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Gisella De Rosa (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Tyler Desjardins (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Nicole Drakos (University of Hawaii)
  • Simon Driver (University of Western Australia)
  • Qiao Duan (University of Cambridge)
  • Eiichi Egami (University of Arizona)
  • Andreas Faisst (California Institute of Technology / IPAC)
  • Xiaohui Fan (University of Arizona)
  • Duncan Farrah (University of Hawaii)
  • Steve Finkelstein (University of Texas, Austin)
  • Travis Fischer (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Adriano Fontana (INAF - Rome Observatory)
  • Ori Fox (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Brenda Frye (University of Arizona)
  • Yoshinobu Fudamoto (Chiba University)
  • Eric Gawiser (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
  • Mauro Giavalisco (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
  • Anthony Gonzalez (University of Florida)
  • Norman Grogin (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Yicheng Guo (University of Missouri - Columbia)
  • Yuichi Harikane (University of Tokyo)
  • Thomas Harvey (University of Manchester)
  • Nimish Hathi (USPTO)
  • Benne Holwerda (University of Louisville)
  • Taylor Hutchison (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
  • Olivier Ilbert (LAM, Aix Marseille Universite)
  • Akio Inoue (Waseda University)
  • Lucy Ivey (University of Cambridge)
  • Kartheik Iyer (CCA, Flatiron Institute)
  • Rolf Jansen (Arizona State University)
  • Mathilde Jauzac (University of Durham)
  • Christian Kragh Jespersen (Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, USA)
  • Ignas Juodžbalis (University of Cambridge)
  • Jeyhan Kartaltepe (Rochester Institute of Technology)
  • Daichi Kashino (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)
  • Susan Kassin (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Dale Kocevski (Colby College)
  • Stephanie LaMassa (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Erini Lambrides (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
  • Rebecca Larson (Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA)
  • Kyoung-Soo Lee (Purdue University)
  • Junyao Li (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
  • Ray Lucas (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Zhiyuan Ma (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
  • Sangeeta Malhotra (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
  • Elizabeth McGrath (Colby College)
  • Peter Melchior (Princeton University)
  • Marcio Melendez (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Hironao Miyatake (Nagoya University)
  • Mireia Montes (Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC))
  • Thomas Moore (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Takashi Moriya (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)
  • Leonidas Moustakas (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
  • Rohan Naidu (MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research)
  • Rosalia O'Brien (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
  • Masafusa Onoue (Waseda University)
  • Rafael Ortiz (Arizona State University)
  • Masami Ouchi (University of Tokyo)
  • Robert Pascalau (University of Cambridge)
  • Molly Peeples (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Andreea Petric (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Sara Petty (NorthWest Research Associates)
  • Justin Pierel (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Marc Rafelski (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Eniko Regos (Konkoly Observatory)
  • Armin Rest (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Mitchell Revalski (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Pierluigi Rinaldi (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Aaron Robotham (University of Western Australia)
  • Kate Rowlands (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Pablo Sanchez-Alarcon (NASA Ames Research Center)
  • Paola Santini (INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma)
  • John Silverman (Johns Hopkins University)
  • Raymond Simons (Providence College)
  • Brent Smith (Arizona State University)
  • Rachel Somerville (CCA, Flatiron Institute)
  • Charles Steinhardt (University of Missouri - Columbia)
  • Michael Strauss (Princeton University)
  • Takahiro Sumi (University of Osaka)
  • Bangzheng Sun (Uinversity of Missouri - Columbia)
  • Fengwu Sun (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
  • Tanaka Takumi (University of Tokyo)
  • Masayuki Tanaka (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)
  • Feige Wang (University of Michigan)
  • Lifan Wang (Texas A & M University)
  • Christina Williams (NOIRLab)
  • Christopher Willmer (University of Arizona, Steward Observatory)
  • Rogier Windhorst (Arizona State University)
  • Edward Wollack (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
  • John Wu (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Zihao Wu (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
  • Jinyi Yang (University of Michigan)
  • Aaron Yung (Space Telescope Science Institute / STScI)
  • Mingyang Zhuang (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
  • Patrick Kelly (University of Minnesota)
  • Bahram Mobasher (University of California, Riverside)
  • Pascal Oesch (University of Geneva)
  • Swara Ravindranath (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
  • James Rhoads (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
  • Takahiro Morishita (Tohoku University)
  • Katherine Whitaker (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
  • Caitlin Casey (University of California, Santa Barbara)
  • Alice Shapley (University of California, Los Angeles)
  • Scott Tompkins (University of Western Australia)
  • Kotaro Kohno (University of Tokyo)
  • Denis Burgarella (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille)
  • Chloe Aurin (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille)
  • Tim Dewachter (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille)
Abstract We propose the Roman eXtreme Deep Field (RXDF), an imaging survey to AB=30 (5sigma) over >140x larger area than the Hubble XDF full-depth area (ACS+WFC3/IR). The RXDF will cover the full Roman wavelength range with 7 bands, reaching AB=30 in RZYJH, AB=29 in F, and AB=28 in K, over a full-depth area of ~700 arcmin^2 embedded in a total area >1200 arcmin^2, and farexceeding the depths of the Core Community Surveys (CCS). The RXDF is within the Euclid Ultra Deep Field near the NEP, a strategic long-term field for generational space facilities, with a wealth of multi-wavelength data including extensive JWST coverage. The observations cover 3 epochs at a 1-year cadence, each epoch divided into 3 sub-epochs ~10 days apart, enabling time domain studies on time baselines over ~10 days to over ~2 years. Only the RXDF can address critical questions in reionization, large scale structure, SMBH growth, little red dots (LRDs), and high-z SNe; the volumes probed by HST+JWST are ~100x too small at these extreme depths, and even the deepest CCS tiers are too shallow. Specifically: (1) How does the full galaxy LF, from the bright to the faint end, evolve over z~6-14, crucial for constraining reionization models? (2) How does the UVLF scale with halo mass, what are the timescales for star formation burstiness, and what is the angular correlation function across the full LF, crucial in differentiating models for the excess of bright galaxies? (3) When do the first LSS overdensities appear, and how do they evolve over z~6-14? (4) How do the lowest luminosity AGN evolve from z>6 and build up their SMBHs, and how do they evolve with their hosts? (5) What is the nature of LRDs, and what mechanisms power their UV excess? (6) What are the progenitors of SLSNe, and what is their primary production mechanism? Furthermore, a wealth of additional science will be enabled by engaging the community with our rapidly released datasets, revolutionizing a wide range of science for a lasting legacy.
Summary of Observations The RXDF program aims to reach the deepest imaging sensitivities at Roman's limit, across all seven broad bands sampling its full wavelength coverage. It will observe one WFI pointing using a bespoke 8-point mosaic dithering pattern to cover the detector gaps with minimal dilution of the exposure map, and with additional sub-pixel dithering to best reconstruct the Roman PSF that is undersampled. Our target field covers the premier JWST time-domain imaging field of the NEXUS program. The large Roman FOV is well matched to completely encompass the NEXUS field within a single pointing and to extend to a 2x larger flanking area, and we will reach 2.5 mag deeper over 0.8-1.7 um in the overlapping region and extend bluer to 0.5 um. While it is primarily for deep extragalactic science, RXDF will also be a multiwavelength, extremely deep time-domain imaging program by itself. The intention is for RXDF to span three epochs, each separated by ~1 year (APT Pass Plans 1, 2, and 3), with each epoch split into three sub-epochs separated by the maximal amount consistent with PA_V3 hold-time: ~10 days apart (APT Survey Steps 1-3, 4-6, and 7-9). The PA will be adjusted (allowed by +/- 15 deg) to ensure that all observations will be within the same footprint. The very low zodiacal background in the RXDF makes the program flexible to the Roman scheduling. If our starting time cannot be scheduled at the beginning of the mission, the last epoch will be pushed to the 3rd year, which is allowed by the Roman policy (confirmed by the Helpdesk). To minimize the impact of readout noise in the individual exposures, RXDF uses long-duration MA Table settings ranging from IM_600_16 up to IM_1000_16. The resulting 376 hours of science time are highly efficiently obtained in just 386 hours of total charged time, and reach 5-sigma limits unprecedented for such a wide area: 30 mag in RZYJH, 29 mag in F and 28 mag in K (all in AB system).