F. Masci, Aug 26, 2011 Overview: We request that Baerbel Koribalski and the WALLABY team (a pathfinder for HI surveys with the Square Kilometer Array; see below) have access to flux-calibrated WISE mosaics covering a 5.5 x 5.5 sq.deg field in the Circinus region - a field in the Milky Way's zone-of-avoidance (ZOA). The primary goal is to assist with the identification and classification of HI detections, with the ultimate goal of studying the extragalactic population hiding behind this part of the Milky Way. This includes the dwarf-galaxy population associated with the Circinus galaxy (NGC 4569). Higher resolution Spitzer imaging is available for a small (~15'x15') region on the Circinus galaxy itself, but WISE is needed to followup the HI detections in its large-scale environment. WALLABY project: This is one of the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) projects. It will be an extragalactic neutral hydrogen survey covering 75% of the sky and will detect up to 500,000 galaxies to a redshift of 0.26. WALLABY aims to examine the HI properties and large-scale distribution of these galaxies in order to study the missing satellite problem in the Local Group, evolution and star formation of galaxies, the role of mergers, the HI mass function and its variation with galaxy density. WALLABY will provide the largest, most homogeneous HI sample of galaxies yet made, and will be an important pathfinder for key SKA science. The 5.5 x 5.5 sq.deg Circinus field is one of the first science fields that will be studied and used for commissioning the test arrays for WALLABY/ASKAP. Short-term plans: When the best resolution and highest sensitivity HI maps of Circinus become available (~end of 2011/early 2012; see below for preview), we will use the WISE mosaics to identify and classify extragalactic sources. One of the challenges will be weeding out Milky Way objects (e.g., HII regions, nebulae, etc..) in this highly confused region. Following identification, we will attempt to measure the physical properties of the newly discovered sources, e.g., stellar masses, star-formation rates and efficiencies (as the WISE sensitivity allows). If this pilot study is successful, we will consider expanding the WALLABY-WISE synergism to much larger areas in future. WISE Science Team sponsor: Thomas Jarrett WISE Liaison/data processing support, data access, and science: Frank Masci List of external collaborators: * Dr. Barbel Koribalski Research Scientist, Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) * Dr. Simon Johnston Senior Research Astronomer and Project Scientist for ASKAP, Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) * Prof. Lister Staveley-Smith Deputy Director, International Center for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) The University of Western Australia Roles and responsibilities: Masci will act as the WISE Team liaison. Jarrett as backup. Preview of preliminary products/studies: * W1+W3+W4 RGB jpeg (5.5 x 5.5 deg) of the region of interest: http://wise2.ipac.caltech.edu/proj/fmasci/figures_mosaics/circinusW1W3W4big.jpg * 20cm low-res/low-sensitivity continuum map of same region from ATCA: http://wise2.ipac.caltech.edu/proj/fmasci/figures_mosaics/atca-circ.gif Note that more ATCA observations are planned in early 2012. * proof-of-concept study using WISE+HI to search for galaxies in the ZOA: http://wise2.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/fmasci/ZoA_gals_proof.html Publication plans: Unknown