AKARI/IRC deep survey in the North Ecliptic Pole region

Abstract

We have made a deep and wide imaging survey with all nine AKARI/IRC bands from 2 to 24 μm within a half degree of the North Ecliptic Pole. The survey covered a circular area of 0.38 deg2 centered at RA = 17 h56m, Dec = 66°37′ where a deep optical multi-band survey has been conducted by Subaru/Suprime-Cam. The 5 σ sensitivity of the survey for point sources is 11.0, 48, 117, and 275 μJy at wavelengths 3, 7, 15, and 24 μm, respectively. The survey is limited by sky noise at wavelengths from 7 to 24 μm, and limited by source confusion from 2 to 4 μm. We have also made a point source catalog at each band, consisting of more than 5000 sources with a 50% completeness limit of 93 μJy at 15 μm. Our results are consistent with the pilot survey at faint fluxes and has better statistical significance at the bright fluxes. This is the first near- and mid-infrared sub-mJy extragalactic survey with contiguous wavelength coverage from 2 to 24 μm and a large band-merged catalogue. It will provide powerful and unique diagnostics of obscured star-formation and AGN activities in the galaxies up to z = 2. © 2008. Astronomical Society of Japan.