The FLAMINGOS Extragalactic Survey

Abstract

Using the Florida Multi-object Imaging Near-IR grism Observational Spectrometer (FLAMINGOS), we have conducted the FLAMINGOS Extragalactic Survey (FLAMEX), a deep imaging survey covering 7.1 square degrees within the 18.6 sq. deg NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey (NDWFS) regions. FLAMEX is the first deep, wide-area near-infrared survey to image in both the J and Ks filters, and is larger than any previous NIR surveys of comparable depth. The intent of FLAMEX is to facilitate the study of galaxy and galaxy cluster evolution at 1<z<2 by providing rest-frame optical photometry for the massive galaxy population at this epoch. This effort is designed to yield a public data set that complements and augments the suite of existing surveys in the NDWFS fields. We present an overview of FLAMEX and initial results based upon ~150,000 Ks-selected sources in the Bootes field. We describe the observations and reductions, quantify the data quality, and verify that the number counts are consistent with results from previous surveys. Finally, we comment upon the utility of this sample for detailed study of the ERO population, and present one of the first spectroscopically confirmed z>1 galaxy clusters detected using the joint FLAMEX, NDWFS, and Spitzer IRAC Shallow Survey data sets.