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| Lockman Hole | |
|---|---|
| Name | Lockman Hole |
| Type | Sky region |
| Epoch | J2000 |
| Constell | Ursa Major |
| Ra | 10h 45m |
| Dec | +58° |
| Notes | Low neutral hydrogen column density region used for deep extragalactic observations |
Lockman Hole The Lockman Hole is a region of the sky with exceptionally low neutral hydrogen column density that has become a premier window for deep extragalactic and cosmological observations. First characterized through radio mapping and followed by coordinated observational campaigns, the area has been targeted by numerous facilities for studies ranging from galaxy evolution to the cosmic X-ray and infrared backgrounds. Major observatories including Arecibo Observatory, Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Very Large Array have contributed to its extensive dataset.
The Lockman Hole was identified during 21-centimeter surveys conducted by Jay Lockman and collaborators associated with National Radio Astronomy Observatory programs and later mapped with instruments such as Green Bank Telescope and Effelsberg 100-m Radio Telescope to confirm low Hydrogen line column densities. The region lies toward the constellation Ursa Major and overlaps survey footprints of projects like Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Two Micron All Sky Survey, and deep fields studied by Hubble Deep Field teams. Ongoing archival exploitation involves facilities including European Space Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and observatories like Keck Observatory and Subaru Telescope.
Low neutral hydrogen in the Lockman Hole minimizes absorption for photons from distant sources, making it optimal for observations by observatories such as ROSAT, XMM-Newton, and Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Its transparency benefits investigations of objects like quasars, active galactic nucleus, starburst galaxies, and faint high-redshift galaxy populations detected by instruments on James Webb Space Telescope follow-up programs. The region has been incorporated into multi-facility campaigns by teams from institutions including Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Institute of Astrophysics of Paris, and Space Telescope Science Institute.
Large surveys targeting the Lockman Hole include X-ray programs by Chandra Deep Field teams, mid-infrared mapping by Spitzer Space Telescope projects, radio continuum surveys by LOFAR, Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, and Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array campaigns, and submillimeter programs by James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. Optical spectroscopy and redshift surveys have been carried out with Keck Observatory instruments, Very Large Telescope, and Gemini Observatory, while photometric coverage was provided by Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope and Subaru Telescope deep imaging. Collaborations with missions like Planck (spacecraft) and ground arrays such as IRAM have enriched measurements of cosmic backgrounds.
The Lockman Hole has been observed across the electromagnetic spectrum by teams using XMM-Newton and Chandra X-ray Observatory in X-rays, Spitzer Space Telescope and Herschel Space Observatory in infrared, Very Large Array and e-MERLIN in radio, and Hubble Space Telescope in optical and ultraviolet bands. Submillimeter detections by SCUBA and follow-ups by ALMA provided insights into dusty star-forming galaxies, while gamma-ray upper limits involved studies from Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Cross-correlation efforts linked catalogs from Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Two Micron All Sky Survey, and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer to build multiwavelength source identifications used by groups at European Southern Observatory, Caltech, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Cambridge.
Because of its low foreground obscuration, the Lockman Hole contributes to constraints on the cosmic X-ray background and the infrared background through stacking analyses undertaken by research teams at Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics and Princeton University. Deep field-like observations in the area complement programs such as Hubble Ultra Deep Field and Chandra Deep Field South, enabling studies of faint source counts, X-ray luminosity functions, and star-formation history by consortia including COSMOS (astronomy project) collaborators and surveys coordinated with GOODS (Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey) teams. Analyses have involved theoretical frameworks from groups at MIT, University of California, Berkeley, and Cambridge University.
Surveys in the Lockman Hole have yielded discoveries of obscured active galactic nucleus populations, faint high-redshift quasar candidates, submillimeter-bright ultraluminous infrared galaxys, and constraints on populations of faint X-ray sources, with work published by researchers from Columbia University, University of Durham, Bologna Observatory, and Shanghai Astronomical Observatory. Notable identifications include spectroscopically confirmed high-redshift galaxies found with Keck Observatory and Very Large Telescope spectroscopy, X-ray source catalogs compiled by XMM-Newton teams, and infrared-selected samples from Spitzer Space Telescope programs used by groups at Steward Observatory and University of Hawaii.
The Lockman Hole is centered near right ascension ~10h–11h and declination ~+57° to +59° in the northern sky within Ursa Major, making it accessible to northern hemisphere facilities such as Mauna Kea Observatories, Kitt Peak National Observatory, and Mount Graham International Observatory. Archival data are available through archives maintained by NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive, European Space Agency Science Archive Facility, and mission-specific archives at Chandra X-ray Center and XMM-Newton Science Archive, enabling ongoing research by teams at University of Edinburgh, Australian National University, National Astronomical Observatories of China, and international consortia.
Category:Astronomical regions