Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer observations of the Hubble Deep Field: Observations, data reduction, and galaxy photometry

This paper presents data obtained during the NICMOS Guaranteed Time Observations of a portion of the Hubble Deep Field. The data are in a catalog format similar to the publication of the original WFPC2 Hubble Deep Field program (Williams et al.). The catalog contains 342 objects in a 49″.1 x 48″.4 subfield of the total observed field, 235 of which are considered coincident with objects in the WFPC2 catalog. The 3 σ signal-to-noise ratio level is at an aperture AB magnitude of approximately 28.8 at 1.6 μm. The catalog sources, listed in order of right ascension, are selected to satisfy a limiting signal-to-noise ratio criterion of greater than or equal to 2.5. This introduces a few false detections into the catalog, and users should take careful note of the completeness and reliability levels for the catalog discussed in §§9 and 10. The catalog also contains a test parameter indicating the results of half-catalog tests and the degree of coincidence with the original WFPC2 catalog.