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Description
The Las Campanas Infrared Survey, based on broadband optical and near-infrared photometry, is designed to robustly identify a statistically significant and representative sample of evolved galaxies at redshifts z>1. We have completed an H-band imaging survey over 1.1{deg}^2^ of sky in six separate fields. The average 5{sigma} detection limit in a 4" diameter aperture is H~20.8. Here we describe the design of the survey, the observation strategies, data-reduction techniques, and object identification procedures. We present sample near-infrared and optical photometric catalogs for objects identified in two survey fields. The optical images of the Hubble Deep Field-South region obtained from the literature reach 5{sigma} detection thresholds in a 4" diameter aperture of U~24.6, B~26.1, V~25.6, R~25.1, and I~24.2mag. The optical images of the Chandra Deep Field-South region obtained from our own observations reach 5 {sigma} detection thresholds in a 4" diameter aperture of V~26.8, R~26.2, I~25.3, and z'~23.7mag. We perform object detection in all bandpasses and identify>~54000 galaxies over 1408 arcmin^2^ of sky in the two fields. Of these galaxies, ~14000 are detected in the H band and ~2000 have the colors of evolved galaxies, I-H >~3, at z>~1.
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