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| GAMA (Galaxy And Mass Assembly) | |
|---|---|
| Name | GAMA (Galaxy And Mass Assembly) |
| Abbreviation | GAMA |
| Type | Spectroscopic and photometric survey |
| Area | ~286 deg² |
| Instruments | Anglo-Australian Telescope, UK Schmidt Telescope, VLT Survey Telescope, Subaru, VISTA, GALEX, Herschel, XMM-Newton |
| Startdate | 2008 |
| Enddate | ongoing |
| Principal investigators | Simon Driver, Peder Norberg, Paul Baldry |
GAMA (Galaxy And Mass Assembly) is a large, multiwavelength astronomical survey that combines deep spectroscopic redshift measurements with extensive imaging across ultraviolet, optical, near-infrared, mid-infrared, far-infrared, and radio bands to study galaxy formation and cosmic structure. The project integrates resources and expertise from observatories, research institutes, and survey teams to produce homogeneous catalogs used in studies of galaxy properties, large-scale structure, dark matter halos, and baryon cycles. GAMA's datasets underpin investigations connecting observational programs and theoretical frameworks, enabling precision measurements relevant to galaxy evolution, cosmology, and multiwavelength astrophysics.
GAMA was conceived to bridge wide-area surveys such as Sloan Digital Sky Survey and deep fields like COSMOS by delivering intermediate-area, high-completeness spectroscopy tied to multiwavelength imaging from facilities including GALEX, VISTA, Subaru Telescope, Very Large Telescope, Herschel Space Observatory, and XMM-Newton. The collaboration involves teams associated with institutions such as Australian Astronomical Observatory, University of St Andrews, University of Manchester, and ICRAR, and builds on prior efforts exemplified by projects like 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey and 6dF Galaxy Survey. GAMA's design targets environments spanning clusters related to Virgo Cluster analogs and filamentary structures studied in surveys like 2MASS Redshift Survey. The survey's leadership includes astronomers affiliated with University of Western Australia and University of Portsmouth.
GAMA's tiling strategy used multi-fibre spectroscopy on the Anglo-Australian Telescope with input catalogs assembled from imaging from instruments such as the UK Schmidt Telescope, VST, VISTA, and Subaru Prime Focus Camera. Target selection criteria extended techniques pioneered by SDSS and Millennium Simulation-motivated mocks, incorporating magnitude limits similar to those in 2dFGRS and color selections informed by GALEX ultraviolet data and WISE mid-infrared photometry. Survey regions were chosen to overlap legacy fields observed by GAMA partner imaging campaigns and extragalactic programs connected to Herschel-ATLAS and deep radio surveys like those from Australia Telescope Compact Array. Observing campaigns coordinated time allocations across partner facilities such as European Southern Observatory and national observatories.
Spectroscopic reduction and redshift measurement pipelines were developed drawing on algorithms used in 2dF and SDSS reductions, with quality assessment protocols comparable to those in DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey and GAMA-specific software. Redshift reliability assessments used cross-correlation methods related to techniques from Tonry–Davis implementations and human verification procedures akin to zCOSMOS. Catalog generation integrated photometric deblending approaches influenced by software from SExtractor and forced photometry approaches employed in Pan-STARRS. GAMA produced high-completeness redshift catalogs with well-characterized error distributions enabling comparison with simulation outputs from projects such as Millennium Run and hydrodynamic simulations like EAGLE and Illustris.
GAMA delivered legacy catalogs quantifying stellar mass functions, luminosity functions, and group catalogs that extended the work of SDSS and 2MASS-based analyses. Key results include measurements of galaxy stellar mass assembly comparable to findings from COSMOS and environmental dependence studies related to results from COMBO-17 and VIPERS. GAMA group catalogs enabled halo occupation distribution studies in the spirit of analyses performed using SDSS groups and clusters identified in MaxBCG. The survey contributed to empirical scaling relations analogous to the Tully–Fisher relation and Fundamental Plane investigations, and provided inputs to baryon census efforts resonant with Planck-based cosmological parameter constraints. Public data products influenced follow-up studies by teams working on MaNGA, SAMI, and integral-field spectroscopy programs.
Primary spectroscopy was obtained with the Anglo-Australian Telescope using the AAOmega spectrograph and Two Degree Field (2dF) fibre positioner, instruments with lineage tied to the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey. Imaging came from instruments including the VLT Survey Telescope, VISTA, Subaru Suprime-Cam, UKIRT, and space observatories GALEX, Spitzer Space Telescope, Herschel Space Observatory, and XMM-Newton. Radio data were incorporated from facilities such as the Australia Telescope Compact Array and single-dish surveys related to Parkes Observatory. The project coordinated observing proposals with national facilities overseen by agencies like Australian Research Council and European time allocation committees associated with European Southern Observatory.
GAMA is a consortium comprising universities, observatories, and research centers including University of St Andrews, University of Portsmouth, AAO/CSIRO, ICRAR, and international partners in Germany, Netherlands, and South Africa. Data releases were staged (DR1, DR2, DR3) analogous to release practices of SDSS and Herschel-ATLAS, each accompanied by documentation and value-added catalogs influenced by standards from Virtual Observatory protocols and NASA archives. The collaboration engaged with theorists who run simulation suites like Millennium Simulation and EAGLE to compare catalogs through mock lightcone products and participated in joint analyses with surveys such as H-ATLAS and KiDS.
GAMA's high-completeness spectroscopic samples and multiwavelength measurements enabled precision studies of the galaxy-halo connection, baryon cycling, and environmental quenching, informing models used by research programs linked to Planck cosmological parameterization and studies of large-scale bias like those influenced by BOSS and eBOSS. Its group catalogs and stellar mass functions are widely used benchmarks in comparisons with semi-analytic models from groups developing GALFORM and hydrodynamic runs such as EAGLE and IllustrisTNG. By providing homogeneous, well-characterized datasets, GAMA has become a reference dataset for subsequent surveys including DESI follow-up planning, LSST preparatory science, and integral-field programs like SAMI and MaNGA.
Category:Astronomical surveys