La Silla-QUEST Variability Survey in the Southern Hemisphere

TL;DR

The La Silla-QUEST survey is a wide-field, synoptic observational program in the Southern Hemisphere that detects and studies various transient astronomical phenomena using a dedicated telescope and camera system.

Contribution

This paper introduces the LSQ survey, detailing its instrumentation, observational strategy, and initial results in transient detection and photometric performance.

Findings

Survey covers ~1000 deg² per night with hours to days cadence

First transient detections demonstrate survey's effectiveness

Photometric capabilities are suitable for transient discovery

Abstract

We describe the La Silla-QUEST (LSQ) Variability Survey. LSQ is a dedicated wide-field synoptic survey in the Southern Hemisphere, focussing on the discovery and study of transients ranging from low redshift (z < 0.1) SN Ia, Tidal Disruption events, RR Lyr{\ae} variables, CVs, Quasars, TNOs and others. The survey utilizes the 1.0-m Schmidt Telescope of the European Southern Observatory at La Silla, Chile, with the large-area QUEST camera, a mosaic of 112 CCDs with field of view of 9.6 square degrees. The LSQ Survey was commissioned in 2009, and is now regularly covering ~1000 square deg per night with a repeat cadence of hours to days. The data are currently processed on a daily basis. We present here a first look at the photometric capabilities of LSQ and we discuss some of the most interesting recent transient detections.