ZTF在2017年11月開光之後，將開始正式科學觀測工作。其47平方度之超大視場，將極有利於太陽系中各種小物體的研究，尤其是在超快自轉小行星的追尋，彗星、半人馬小行星及主帶彗星的亮度時變的即時記錄。另一個重要的方向便是星際小行星如A/2017 U1 'Oumuamua"的發現。ZTF在太陽系小天體的研究工作，亦將與泛星（Pan-STARRS 1/2)、CFHT和Subaru的資料相比較。在ZTF的常規巡天觀測資料分析，「探高計畫」有幾個主要方向，一個是銀河盤面蝕雙星系統的普查。我們先以幾個太陽系附近的星團作為試點。這是我們先前用Kepler觀察數據研究蝕雙星系統的一個延伸。由於ZTF的大視場觀察除每晚一次外，「探高計畫」亦有特定的每10分鐘一次的測光資料，可以用於檢查活動星系核的時間變化，這將是非常有特色的工作。同樣重要的是我們將繼續非常成功的重力波源可見光對認體的追蹤觀察，希望得到更好的科學成果。 ;The beginning of the scientific operations of the Zwicky Transient Facility will usher in an new era of time-domain astronomy. With its field-of-view of 47 sq. deg., ZTF will scan the visible northern sky twice (g+r) a night and the Galactic Plane once a night. This unprecedented capability will provide tremendous impetus to our investigations of the population of super-fast rotating asteroids, the census of the small near-Earth objects with size of 10-100 m, the temporal activities of comets and Centaurs,characterization of the outgassing effect of active asteroids, and the detection of interstellar asteroids like A/2017U1 'Oumuamua". Our research work in the solar system will be complemented by observations from CFHT, Subaru and Pan-Starrs 1/2, all with approved time allocations. For variable stars and binaries, we will use the newly refurbished Robo-AO system to investigage the possible binarities of some exoplanets, and super-flaring G-type stars. The Galactic Plane survey of ZTF combined with the PTF data will be very valuable, especially, in categorizing eclipsing binaries. We will first explore this feasibility by examining photometric data of some nearby star clusters. The ZTF data will be of unique value in the tracing of short-term variabilities of AGNs at different (hour-to-night) time scales.Of equal importance, we will continue the very productive collaborative project in the detection of the gravitational wave/optical counterparts in the framework of the ZTF project.
