Roman CCS White Paper: Considerations for Selecting Fields for the Roman High-latitude Time Domain Core Community Survey

TL;DR

This white paper evaluates key factors for selecting optimal fields for the Roman High-latitude Time Domain Survey, recommending specific southern and northern fields based on observational advantages and survey overlap considerations.

Contribution

It provides a systematic review of five criteria for field selection and recommends specific survey fields to optimize scientific return.

Findings

ADFS/EDFS are ideal southern fields due to low dust and bright star avoidance.

EGS is suitable in the north despite zodiacal variation.

SNAP-N and ELAIS N-1 are good northern fields with existing archival data.

Abstract

In this white paper, we review five top considerations for selecting locations of the fields of the Roman High-latitude Time Domain Survey. Based on these considerations, we recommend Akari Deep Field South (ADFS)/Euclid Deep Field South (EDFS) in the Southern Hemisphere has it avoids bright stars, has minimal Milky Way dust, is in Roman Continuous viewing zone, overlaps with multiple past and future surveys, and minimal zodiacal background variation. In the North, Extended Groth Strip (EGS) is good except for its zodiacal variation and Supernova/Acceleration Probe North (SNAP-N) and European Large Area Infrared Space Observatory Survey-North 1 (ELAIS N-1) are good except for their synergistic archival data.