Host Galaxy Identification for Supernova Surveys

Understand

Host galaxy identification is a crucial step for modern supernova (SN) surveys such as the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), which will discover SNe by the thousands.

• Spectroscopic resources are limited, so in the absence of real-time SN spectra these surveys must rely on host galaxy spectra to obtain accurate redshifts for the Hubble diagram and to improve photometric classification of SNe.
• In addition, SN luminosities are known to correlate with host-galaxy properties.
• Therefore, reliable identification of host galaxies is essential for cosmology and SN science.