XQ-100: A legacy survey of one hundred 3.5 ≲ z ≲ 4.5 quasars observed with VLT/X-shooter

We describe the execution and data reduction of the European Southern Observatory Large Programme "Quasars and their absorption lines: a legacy survey of the high-redshift Universe with VLT/X-shooter" (hereafter "XQ-100"). XQ-100 has produced and made publicly available a homogeneous and high-quality sample of echelle spectra of 100 quasars (QSOs) at redshifts z similar or equal to 3.5-4.5 observed with full spectral coverage from 315 to 2500 nm at a resolving power ranging from R similar to 4000 to 7000, depending on wavelength. The median signal-to-noise ratios are 33, 25 and 43, as measured at rest-frame wavelengths 1700, 3000 and 3600 angstrom, respectively. This paper provides future users of XQ-100 data with the basic statistics of the survey, along with details of target selection, data acquisition and data reduction. The paper accompanies the public release of all data products, including 100 reduced spectra. XQ-100 is the largest spectroscopic survey to date of high-redshift QSOs with simultaneous rest-frame UV/optical coverage, and as such enables a wide range of extragalactic research, from cosmology and galaxy evolution to AGN astrophysics.FONDECYT [1140838]; ERC [320596]; Danish National Research Foundation; Danish Council for Independent Research [DFF - 4002-00275]; ERC-StG "cosmoIGM"; NSF AAPF fellowship under NSF grant [AST-1302093]; European Research Council [GA-257670]; Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; National Science Foundation; U.S. Department of Energy; Japanese Monbukagakusho; Max Planck Society; Higher Education Funding Council for England; American Museum of Natural History; Astrophysical Institute Potsdam; University of Basel; University of Cambridge; Case Western Reserve University; University of Chicago; Drexel University; Fermilab; Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics; Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology; Korean Scientist Group; Chinese Academy of Sciences (LAMOST); Los Alamos National Laboratory; Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy (MPIA); Max-Planck-Institute for Astrophysics (MPA); New Mexico State University; Ohio State University; University of Pittsburgh; University of Portsmouth; Princeton University; United States Naval Observatory; University of Washington; PRIN INAF; NSERC; National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Institute for Advanced Study; Japan Participation Group; Johns Hopkins University; [PFB-06 CATA]Open access journal.This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu