The DIVING$^{3D}$ Survey -- Deep IFS View of Nuclei of Galaxies -- I. Definition and Sample Presentation

TL;DR

The DIVING$^{3D}$ survey provides high-resolution 3D spectroscopic data of 170 galaxy nuclei, enabling detailed studies of nuclear activity, emission-line properties, and stellar/gas kinematics in the southern hemisphere.

Contribution

This survey offers a comprehensive, high-resolution optical 3D spectroscopic dataset for all southern hemisphere galaxies brighter than B=12, filling a gap in nuclear galaxy studies.

Findings

Enhanced understanding of low-luminosity active galactic nuclei.

Insights into ionization mechanisms in Low-Ionization Nuclear Emission-Line Regions.

Characterization of circumnuclear emission-line properties.

Abstract

We present the Deep Integral Field Spectrograph View of Nuclei of Galaxies (DIVING$^{3D}$) survey, a seeing-limited optical 3D spectroscopy study of the central regions of all 170 galaxies in the Southern hemisphere with B < 12.0 and |b| > 15 degrees. Most of the observations were taken with the Integral Field Unit of the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph, at the Gemini South telescope, but some are also being taken with the Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR) Integral Field Spectrograph. The DIVING$^{3D}$ survey was designed for the study of nuclear emission-line properties, circumnuclear (within scales of hundreds of pc) emission-line properties, stellar and gas kinematics and stellar archaeology. The data have a combination of high spatial and spectral resolution not matched by previous surveys and will result in significant contributions for studies related to, for example, the statistics of low-luminosity active galactic nuclei, the ionization mechanisms in Low-Ionization Nuclear Emission-Line Regions, the nature of transition objects, among other topics.