First results of the Calar Alto Deep Imaging Survey

The Calar Alto Deep Imaging Survey (CADIS) employs a combination of deep exposures in three broad bands (B,R,K) and up to 13 medium bands (R = lambda/Delta lambda = 15...50) with spectroscopic scans through an imaging Fabry-Perot-Interferometer (R similar to 450) The survey covers 10 fields of greater than or equal to 100 square', i.e; a total area of > 0.3 square degrees. Although primarily designed to detect faint emission line galaxies at various intermediate (z=0.2...1.4) and very high (z=4.7,5.7,6.5) redshifts, its multi-color strategy will also allow the detection and classification of hundreds of early-type galaxies, faint QSOs, and extremely faint stars in our Galaxy. We outline the survey concept and its principal goals. We already found very promising candidates for Ly-a! emitting galaxies at redshift 5.7. Further on, with follow-up spectroscopy at Calar Alto, we could prove that our classification of objects as stars, galaxies and QSOs and the estimate of their redshifts with the multi-color data works very well. Among the first results is the detection of an exceptional high surface density of quasars with z > 2.2 and R less than or equal to 22.0.