The Taipan Galaxy Survey: Scientific Goals and Observing Strategy
Creators: name: da Cunha, Elisabete
name: Hopkins, Andrew M.
name: Colless, Matthew
name: Taylor, Edward N.
name: Blake, Chris
name: Howlett, Cullan
name: Magoulas, Christina
name: Lucey, John R.
name: Lagos, Claudia
name: Kuehn, Kyler
name: Gordon, Yjan
name: Barat, Dilyar
name: Bian, Fuyan
name: Wolf, Christian
name: Cowley, Michael J.
name: White, Marc
name: Achitouv, Ixandra
name: Bilicki, Maciej
name: Bland-Hawthorn, Joss
name: Bolejko, Krzysztof
name: Brown, Michael J. I.
name: Brown, Rebecca
name: Bryant, Julia
name: Croom, Scott
name: Davis, Tamara M.
name: Driver, Simon P.
name: Filipovic, Miroslav D.
name: Hinton, Samuel R.
name: Johnston-Hollitt, Melanie
name: Jones, D. Heath
name: Koribalski, Baerbel
name: Kleiner, Dane
name: Lawrence, Jon
name: Lorente, Nuria
name: Mould, Jeremy
name: Owers, Matt S.
name: Pimbblet, Kevin
name: Tinney, C. G.
name: Tothill, Nicholas F. H.
name: Watson, Fred
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2017
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Taipan is a multi-object spectroscopic galaxy survey starting in 2017 that will cover 2pi steradians over the southern sky, and obtain optical spectra for about two million galaxies out to z&lt;0.4. Taipan will use the newly-refurbished 1.2m UK Schmidt Telescope at Siding Spring Observatory with the new TAIPAN instrument, which includes an innovative 'Starbugs' positioning system capable of rapidly and simultaneously deploying up to 150 spectroscopic fibres (and up to 300 with a proposed upgrade) over the 6-deg diameter focal plane, and a purpose-built spectrograph operating from 370 to 870nm with resolving power R&gt;2000. The main scientific goals of Taipan are: (i) to measure the distance scale of the Universe (primarily governed by the local expansion rate, H_0) to 1% precision, and the structure growth rate of structure to 5%; (ii) to make the most extensive map yet constructed of the mass distribution and motions in the local Universe, using peculiar velocities based on improved Fundamental Plane distances, which will enable sensitive tests of gravitational physics; and (iii) to deliver a legacy sample of low-redshift galaxies as a unique laboratory for studying galaxy evolution as a function of mass and environment. The final survey, which will be completed within 5 years, will consist of a complete magnitude-limited sample (i&lt;17) of about 1.2x10^6 galaxies, supplemented by an extension to higher redshifts and fainter magnitudes (i&lt;18.1) of a luminous red galaxy sample of about 0.8x10^6 galaxies. Observations and data processing will be carried out remotely and in a fully-automated way, using a purpose-built automated 'virtual observer' software and an automated data reduction pipeline. The Taipan survey is deliberately designed to maximise its legacy value, by complementing and enhancing current and planned surveys of the southern sky at wavelengths from the optical to the radio.
description: Published in PASA; 29 pages, 17 figures, 2 tables