Preprint typeset using LATEX style emulateapj v. 5/2/11 THE MASSIVE SURVEY – I. A VOLUME-LIMITED INTEGRAL-FIELD SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY OF THE MOST MASSIVE EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES WITHIN 108 MPC

Massive early-type galaxies represent the modern-day remnants of the earliest major star formation episodes in the history of the universe. These galaxies are central to our understanding of the evolution of cosmic structure, stellar populations, and supermassive black holes, but the details of their complex formation histories remain uncertain. To address this situation, we have initiated the MASSIVE Survey, a volume-limited, multi-wavelength, integral-field spectroscopic (IFS) and photometric survey of the structure and dynamics of the ∼ 100 most massive early-type galaxies within a distance of 108 Mpc. This survey probes a stellar mass range M ∗ & 1011.5M and diverse galaxy environments that have not been systematically studied to date. Our wide-field IFS data cover ∼ 2 effective radii of individual galaxies, and for a subset of them, we are acquiring additional IFS observations on sub-arcsecond scales with adaptive optics. Dynamical orbit modeling of the combined data will allow us to simultaneously determine the stellar, black hole, and dark matter halo masses. The goals of the project are to constrain the black hole scaling relations at high masses, investigate systematically the stellar initial mass function and dark matter distribution in massive galaxies, and probe the late-time assembly of ellipticals through stellar population and kinematical gradients. In the present work, w