The SDSS-IV MaNGA Sample: Design, Optimization, and Usage Considerations

We describe the sample design for the SDSS-IV MaNGA survey and present the final properties of the main samples along with important considerations for using these samples for science. Our target selection criteria were developed while simultaneously optimizing the size distribution of the MaNGA int...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	The Astronomical journal 2017-09, Vol.154 (3), p.86
Main Authors:	Wake, David A., Bundy, Kevin, Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M., Yan, Renbin, Blanton, Michael R., Bershady, Matthew A., Sánchez-Gallego, José R., Drory, Niv, Jones, Amy, Kauffmann, Guinevere, Law, David R., Li, Cheng, MacDonald, Nicholas, Masters, Karen, Thomas, Daniel, Tinker, Jeremy, Weijmans, Anne-Marie, Brownstein, Joel R.
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Astronomy ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY COLOR DENSITY Design optimization DISTRIBUTION GALACTIC EVOLUTION GALAXIES galaxies: evolution galaxies: general galaxies: statistics LUMINOSITY MASS Polls & surveys RED SHIFT SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO Size distribution SPACE SPATIAL RESOLUTION Statistical methods STATISTICS Stellar mass Strategy surveys
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Summary:	We describe the sample design for the SDSS-IV MaNGA survey and present the final properties of the main samples along with important considerations for using these samples for science. Our target selection criteria were developed while simultaneously optimizing the size distribution of the MaNGA integral field units (IFUs), the IFU allocation strategy, and the target density to produce a survey defined in terms of maximizing signal-to-noise ratio, spatial resolution, and sample size. Our selection strategy makes use of redshift limits that only depend on i-band absolute magnitude (Mi), or, for a small subset of our sample, Mi and color (NUV − i). Such a strategy ensures that all galaxies span the same range in angular size irrespective of luminosity and are therefore covered evenly by the adopted range of IFU sizes. We define three samples: the Primary and Secondary samples are selected to have a flat number density with respect to Mi and are targeted to have spectroscopic coverage to 1.5 and 2.5 effective radii (Re), respectively. The Color-Enhanced supplement increases the number of galaxies in the low-density regions of color-magnitude space by extending the redshift limits of the Primary sample in the appropriate color bins. The samples cover the stellar mass range and are sampled at median physical resolutions of 1.37 and 2.5 kpc for the Primary and Secondary samples, respectively. We provide weights that will statistically correct for our luminosity and color-dependent selection function and IFU allocation strategy, thus correcting the observed sample to a volume-limited sample.
ISSN:	0004-6256 1538-3881 1538-3881