Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS) white paper: Go deep, not wide (1312.4602v1)

Abstract: The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is currently the world's most powerful cm-wavelength telescope. However, within a few years this blanket statement will no longer be entirely true, due to the emergence of a new breed of pre-SKA radio telescopes with improved surveying capabilities. This white paper explores a region of sensitivity-area parameter space where an investment of a few thousand hours through a VLA Sky Survey (VLASS) will yield a unique dataset with extensive scientific utility and legacy value well into the SKA era: a deep full-polarization L-band survey covering a few square degrees in A-configuration. Science that can be addressed with a deep VLASS includes galaxy evolution, dark energy and dark matter using radio weak lensing, and cosmic magnetism. A deep VLASS performed in a field with extensive multiwavelength data would also deliver a gold standard multiwavelength catalog to inform wider and shallower surveys such as SKA1-survey.