The ACS Ultra Deep Field (UDF) is a survey carried out using the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on HST and taking advantage of the Director's Discretionary time. The UDF consists of a single ultra-deep field (412 orbits in total) within the CDF-S GOODS area. Scientific drivers of the UDF include probing the tail of the reionization epoch, constraining the star formation history of the Universe, probing the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function, and tracking the origin, structure, and merger history of galaxies as they evolve onto and off the Hubble sequence.
The basic structure of the UDF Survey represents the consensus recommendation of a Scientific Advisory Committee to STScI Director Steven Beckwith, and supported by planning documents presented by a local Working Group, which has looked in detail at the implementation of the survey. The observations were made during 2003 and early 2004. Details of the final UDF adopted ACS parameters and the current status can be found below:
