Chandra Multiwavelength Plane (ChaMPlane) survey:: An introduction

We introduce the Chandra Multiwavelength Plane (ChaMPlane) survey, designed to measure or constrain the populations of low-luminosity (L-X greater than or similar to 10(31) ergs s(-1)) accreting white dwarfs, neutron stars, and stellar mass black holes in the Galactic plane and bulge. ChaMPlane incorporates two surveys, X-ray (Chandra) and optical (NOAO 4 m Mosaic imaging), and a follow-up spectroscopy and IR identification program. The survey has now extended through the first 6 yr of Chandra data using serendipitous sources detected in 105 distinct ACIS-I and ACIS-S fields observed in 154 pointings and covered by 65 deep Mosaic images in V, R, I, and H alpha. ChaMPlane incorporates fields with Galactic latitude vertical bar b vertical bar less than or similar to 12 degrees and selected to be devoid of bright point or diffuse sources, with exposure time greater than or similar to 20 ks and (where possible) minimum N-H. We describe the scientific goals and introduce the X-ray and optical/IR processing and databases. We derive preliminary constraints on the space density or luminosity function of cataclysmic variables (CVs) from the X-ray/optical data for 14 fields in the Galactic anticenter. The lack of ChaMPlane CVs in these anticenter fields suggests that their space density is similar to 3 times below the value ( 3 x 10(-5) pc(-3)) found for the solar neighborhood by previous X-ray surveys. Companion papers describe the X-ray and optical processing in detail, optical spectroscopy of ChaMPlane sources in selected anticenter fields, and IR imaging results for the Galactic center field. An appendix introduces the ChaMPlane Virtual Observatory (VO) for online access to the X-ray and optical images and source catalogs for ready display and further analysis.