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We are conducting a survey of the Euclid Deep Field South (EDFS) with MeerKAT. Euclid spectroscopy will provide an unprecedented view of the large-scale structure at cosmic noon, as well as a direct estimate of the dark matter halo mass and distribution around galaxies, through weak lensing. Sensitive radio data are essential for obtaining a complete census of jetted AGN, measuring dust-unbiased SFRs, and AGN feedback. Joint MeerKAT/Euclid analysis of the wide EDFS region (23 deg2) will shed light on the complex interplay between super-massive black holes, galaxies and dark matter halos at the peak epoch of cosmic assembly, by enabling statistically robust, multi-variate, clustering studies of the various galaxy/AGN populations.
As a first step, we have carried out a pilot survey of the entire EDFS at L-band (~6 μJy/beam rms sensitivity; ~6” spatial resolution), to better characterize this region of the sky at radio bands and demonstrate the feasibility of deeper surveys that will be proposed in the near future. Yet, this pilot study is deep enough to i) probe the radio-loud AGN population at 1 < z < 3 and explore the role of jet-induced feedback in shaping galaxies across various environments; ii) infer the role of massive dust- enshrouded star formation in galaxy assembly and evolution; iii) detect sizeable samples of rare populations (giant radio galaxies, strong lenses) for reliable statistical studies. Coverage at S-band (~15 μJy/beam rms sensitivity; ~1” spatial resolution) will be obtained as part of the "S-band Full Stokes Survey” approved for MeerKAT+.
We acknowledge the support from INAF under the following funding schemes: Large Grant 2022 (project "MeerKAT and LOFAR team up: a Unique Radio Window on Galaxy/AGN co-Evolution") and Large GO 2024 (project "MeerKAT and Euclid Team up: Exploring the galaxy-halo connection at cosmic noon").
The MeerKAT telescope is operated by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, which is a facility of the National Research Foundation, an agency of the Department of Science and Innovation. We wish to acknowledge the assistance of the MeerKAT science operations team in both preparing for and executing the observations that have made our census possible. We acknowledge the use of the ilifu cloud computing facility - www.ilifu.ac.za, a partnership between the University of Cape Town, the University of the Western Cape, Stellenbosch University, Sol Plaatje University, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory. The ilifu facility is supported by contributions from the Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA - a partnership between the University of Cape Town, the University of Pretoria and the University of the Western Cape), the Computational Biology division at UCT and the Data Intensive Research Initiative of South Africa (DIRISA).
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