Examinando por Autor "Catelan, M."
Mostrando 1 - 20 de 29
Resultados por página
Opciones de ordenación
Ítem Alert Classification for the ALeRCE Broker System: The Anomaly Detector(American Astronomical Society, 2023-10-01) Perez-Carrasco, Manuel; Cabrera-Vives, Guillermo; Hernandez-García, Lorena; Förster, F.; Sanchez-Saez, Paula; Muñoz Arancibia, Alejandra M.; Arredondo, Javier; Astorga, Nicolás; Bauer, Franz E.; Bayo, Amelia; Catelan, M.; Dastidar, Raya; Estévez, P.A.; Lira, Paulina; Pignata, GiulianoAstronomical broker systems, such as Automatic Learning for the Rapid Classification of Events (ALeRCE), are currently analyzing hundreds of thousands of alerts per night, opening up an opportunity to automatically detect anomalous unknown sources. In this work, we present the ALeRCE anomaly detector, composed of three outlier detection algorithms that aim to find transient, periodic, and stochastic anomalous sources within the Zwicky Transient Facility data stream. Our experimental framework consists of cross-validating six anomaly detection algorithms for each of these three classes using the ALeRCE light-curve features. Following the ALeRCE taxonomy, we consider four transient subclasses, five stochastic subclasses, and six periodic subclasses. We evaluate each algorithm by considering each subclass as the anomaly class. For transient and periodic sources the best performance is obtained by a modified version of the deep support vector data description neural network, while for stochastic sources the best results are obtained by calculating the reconstruction error of an autoencoder neural network. Including a visual inspection step for the 10 most promising candidates for each of the 15 ALeRCE subclasses, we detect 31 bogus candidates (i.e., those with photometry or processing issues) and seven potential astrophysical outliers that require follow-up observations for further analysis. © 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.Ítem An Automated Tool to Detect Variable Sources in the Vista Variables in the Vía Láctea Survey: The VVV Variables (V4) Catalog of Tiles d001 and d002(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2018-09) Medina, N.; Borissova, J.; Bayo, A.; Kurtev, R.; Navarro Molina, C.; Kuhn, M.; Kumar, N.; Lucas, P.W.; Catelan, M.; Minniti, D.; Smith, L.C.Time-varying phenomena are one of the most substantial sources of astrophysical information, and their study has led to many fundamental discoveries in modern astronomy. We have developed an automated tool to search for and analyze variable sources in the near-infrared K s band using the data from the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) ESO Public Large Survey. This process relies on the characterization of variable sources using different variability indices calculated from time series generated with point-spread function (PSF) photometry of sources under analysis. In particular, we used two main indices, the total amplitude and the eta index η, to identify variable sources. Once the variable objects are identified, periods are determined with generalized Lomb-Scargle periodograms and the information potential metric. Variability classes are assigned according to a compromise between comparisons with VVV templates and the period of the variability. The automated tool is applied on VVV tiles d001 and d002 and led to the discovery of 200 variable sources. We detected 70 irregular variable sources and 130 periodic ones. In addition, nine open-cluster candidates projected in the region are analyzed, and the infrared variable candidates found around these clusters are further scrutinized by cross-matching their locations against emission star candidates from VPHAS+ survey Hα color cuts. © 2018. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Ítem Bulge RR Lyrae stars in the VVV tile b201(EDP Sciences, 2015-03) Gran, F.; Minniti, D.; Saito, R.K.; Navarrete, C.; Dékány, I.; McDonald, I.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Catelan, M.Context. The VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) Survey is one of the six ESO public surveys currently ongoing at the VISTA telescope on Cerro Paranal, Chile. VVV uses near-IR (ZYJHKs) filters that at present provide photometry to a depth of Ks ∼ 17:0 mag in up to 36 epochs spanning over four years, and aim at discovering more than 106 variable sources as well as trace the structure of the Galactic bulge and part of the southern disk. Aims. A variability search was performed to find RR Lyrae variable stars. The low stellar density of the VVV tile b201, which is centered at (l, b) ∼ (-9°, -9°), makes it suitable to search for variable stars. Previous studies have identified some RR Lyrae stars using optical bands that served to test our search procedure. The main goal is to measure the reddening, interstellar extinction, and distances of the RR Lyrae stars and to study their distribution on the Milky Way bulge. Methods. For each star in the tile with more than 25 epochs (∼90% of the objects down to Ks ∼ 17:0 mag), the standard deviation and x2 test were calculated to identify variable candidates. Periods were determined using the analysis of variance. Objects with periods in the RR Lyrae range of 0:2 ≤ P ≤ 1:2 days were selected as candidate RR Lyrae. They were individually examined to exclude false positives. Results. A total of 1.5 sq deg were analyzed, and we found 39 RR Lyr stars, 27 of which belong to the ab-type and 12 to the c-type. Our analysis recovers all the previously identified RR Lyrae variables in the field and discovers 29 new RR Lyr stars. The reddening and extinction toward all the RRab stars in this tile were derived, and distance estimations were obtained through the period-luminosity relation. Despite the limited amount of RR Lyrae stars studied, our results are consistent with a spheroidal or central distribution around ∼8.1 and ∼8.5 kpc. for either the Cardelli or Nishiyama extinction law. Our analysis does not reveal a stream-like structure. Nevertheless, a larger area must be analyzed to definitively rule out streams. © ESO 2015.Ítem Characterization of the VVV Survey RR Lyrae Population across the Southern Galactic Plane(IOP PUBLISHING, 2017-03) Minniti, D.; Dékány, I.; Majaess, D.; Palma, T.; Pullen, J.; Rejkuba, M.; Alonso-García, J.; Catelan, M.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Gonzalez, O.A.; Hempel, M.; Irwin, M.l; Lucas, P.W.; Saito, R.K.; Tissera, P.; Valenti, E.; Zoccali, M.Deep near-IR images from the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) Survey were used to search for RR Lyrae stars in the Southern Galactic plane. A sizable sample of 404 RR Lyrae of type ab stars was identified across a thin slice of the fourth Galactic quadrant (295 degrees < l < 350 degrees, -2 degrees.24 < b < -1 degrees.05). The sample's distance distribution exhibits a maximum density that occurs at the bulge tangent point, which implies that this primarily Oosterhoff type I population of RRab stars does not trace the bar delineated by their red clump counterparts. The bulge RR Lyrae population does not extend beyond l similar to 340 degrees, and the sample's spatial distribution presents evidence of density enhancements and substructure that warrants further investigation. Indeed, the sample may be employed to evaluate Galactic evolution models, and is particularly lucrative since half of the discovered RR Lyrae are within reach of Gaia astrometric observations.Ítem Discovery of a pair of classical cepheids in an invisible cluster beyond the galactic bulge(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2015-01) Dékány, I.; Minniti, D.; Alonso-García, J.; Hempel, M.; Palma, T.; Catelan, M.; Gieren, W.; Majaess, D.We report the discovery of a pair of extremely reddened classical Cepheid variable stars located in the Galacticplane behind the bulge, using near-infrared (NIR) time-series photometry from the VISTA Variables in the VaLáctea Survey. This is the first time that such objects have ever been found in the opposite side of the Galacticplane. The Cepheids have almost identical periods, apparent brightnesses, and colors. From the NIR Leavitt law,we determine their distances with ∼1.5% precision and ∼8% accuracy. We find that they have a same totalextinction of A(V) ? 32 mag, and are located at the same heliocentric distance of ádn = 11.4 ± 0.9 kpc, and lessthan 1 pc from the true Galactic plane. Their similar periods indicate that the Cepheids are also coeval, with an ageof ∼48 ± 3Myr, according to theoretical models. They are separated by an angular distance of only 18?.3,corresponding to a projected separation of ∼1 pc. Their position coincides with the expected location of the Far 3kpc Arm behind the bulge. Such a tight pair of similar classical Cepheids indicates the presence of an underlyingyoung open cluster that is both hidden behind heavy extinction and disguised by the dense stellar field of the bulge.All our attempts to directly detect this invisible cluster have failed, and deeper observations are needed.Ítem Extinction ratios in the inner Galaxy as revealed by the VVV survey(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2017-11) Alonso-García, J.; Minniti, D.; Catelan, M.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Gonzalez, O.A.; Hempel, M.; Lucas, P.W.; Saito, R.K.; Valenti, E.; Zoccali, M.Interstellar extinction toward the Galactic Center (GC) is large and significantly differential. Its reddening and dimming effects in red clump (RC) stars in the Galactic Bulge can be exploited to better constrain the extinction law toward the innermost Galaxy. By virtue of a deep and complete catalog of more than 30 million objects at |l| ≤ 2°.7 and |b| ≤ 1°.55 obtained from VVV survey observations, we apply the RC method to infer the selective-to-total extinction ratios in the Z, Y, J, H, and Ks broadband near-infrared filters. The measured values are smaller than previously reported, and are not constant, with mean values of, e.g., AKS /E(J - Ks) = 0.428 ± 0.005 ± 0.04 and AKS/ E(H Ks) = 1.104 ± 0.022 ± 0.2. We also obtain a ratio AZ:AY:AJ:AH:AKS of 7.74:5.38:3.30:1.88:1.0, implying extinction toward the GC to follow a distribution as a function of wavelength steeper than previously reported, consistent with a power law Aλ ∝ λ -2.47 in the near-infrared.Ítem Large-amplitude periodic outbursts and long-period variables in the VVV VIRAC2-β data base(Oxford University Press, 2022-06-01) Guo, Zhen; Lucas, P.W.; Smith, L.C.; Clarke, C.; Contreras, Penã C.; Bayo, A.; Bricenõ, C.; Elias, J.; Kurtev, R.G.; Borissova, J.; Alonso-Garciá, J.; Minniti, D.; Catelan, M.; Nikzat, F.; Morris, C.; Miller, N.The VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) survey obtained near-infrared photometry towards the Galactic bulge and the southern disc plane for a decade (2010-2019). We designed a modified Lomb-Scargle method to search for large-amplitude (Δ Ks, 2-98 per cent > 1.5 mag) mid to long-term periodic variables (P> 10 d) in the 2nd version of VVV Infrared Astrometric Catalogue (VIRAC2-β). In total, 1520 periodic sources were discovered, including 59 candidate periodic outbursting young stellar objects (YSOs), based on the unique morphology of the phase-folded light curves, proximity to Galactic H ii regions and mid-infrared colours. Five sources are spectroscopically confirmed as accreting YSOs. Both fast-rise/slow-decay and slow-rise/fast-decay periodic outbursts were found, but fast-rise/slow-decay outbursts predominate at the highest amplitudes. The multiwavelength colour variations are consistent with a variable mass accretion process, as opposed to variable extinction. The cycles are likely to be caused by dynamical perturbations from stellar or planetary companions within the circumstellar disc. An additional search for periodic variability amongst YSO candidates in published Spitzer-based catalogues yielded a further 71 candidate periodic accretors, mostly with lower amplitudes. These resemble cases of pulsed accretion but with unusually long periods and greater regularity. The majority of other long-period variables are pulsating dusty Miras with smooth and symmetric light curves. We find that some Miras have redder W3-W4 colours than previously thought, most likely due to their surface chemical compositions. © 2022 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society.Ítem Mapping the outer bulge with RRab stars from the VVV Survey(EDP SCIENCES, 2016-07) Gran, F.; Minniti, D.; Saito, R. K.; Zoccali, M.; Gonzalez, O. A.; Navarrete, C.; Catelan, M.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Elorrieta, F.; Eyheramendy, S.; Jordán, A.Context. The VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) is a near-IR time-domain survey of the Galactic bulge and southern plane. One of the main goals of this survey is to reveal the 3D structure of the Milky Way through their variable stars. In particular, enormous numbers of RR Lyrae stars have been discovered in the inner regions of the bulge (−8° ≲ b ≲ −1°) by optical surveys such as OGLE and MACHO, but leaving an unexplored window of more than ~47 sq deg (−10.0° ≲ ℓ ≲ + 10.7° and − 10.3° ≲ b ≲ −8.0°) observed by the VVV Survey. Aims. Our goal is to characterize the RR Lyrae stars in the outer bulge in terms of their periods, amplitudes, Fourier coefficients, and distances in order to evaluate the 3D structure of the bulge in this area. The distance distribution of RR Lyrae stars will be compared to that of red clump stars, which is known to trace a X-shaped structure, in order to determine whether these two different stellar populations share the same Galactic distribution. Methods. A search for RR Lyrae stars was performed in more than ~47 sq deg at low Galactic latitudes (−10.3° ≲ b ≲ −8.0°). In the procedure the χ2 value and analysis of variance (AoV) statistic methods were used to determine the variability and periodic features of the light curves, respectively. To prevent misclassifications, the analysis was performed only on the fundamental mode RR Lyrae stars (RRab) owing to similarities found in the near-IR light curve shapes of contact eclipsing binaries (W UMa) and first overtone RR Lyrae stars (RRc). On the other hand, the red clump stars of the same analyzed tiles were selected, and cuts in the color-magnitude diagram were applied and the maximum distance restricted to ~20 kpc in order to construct a similar catalog in terms of distances and covered area compared to the RR Lyrae stars. Results. We report the detection of more than 1000 RR Lyrae ab-type stars in the VVV Survey located in the outskirts of the Galactic bulge. A few of them are possibly associated with the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy. We calculated colours, reddening, extinction, and distances of the detected RR Lyrae stars in order to determine the outer bulge 3D structure. Our main result is that, at the low galactic latitudes mapped here, the RR Lyrae stars trace a centrally concentrated spheroidal distribution. This is a noticeably different spatial distribution to the one traced by red clump stars known to follow a bar and X-shaped structure. We estimate the completeness of our sample at 80% for Ks ≤ 15 mag.Ítem Milky Way demographics with the VVV survey: IV. PSF photometry from almost one billion stars in the Galactic bulge and adjacent southern disk(EDP Sciences, 2018-11) Alonso-García, J.; Saito, R.K.; Hempel, M.; Minniti, D.; Pullen, J.; Catelan, M.; Ramos, R.C.; Cross, N.J.G.; Gonzalez, O.A.; Lucas, P.W.; Palma, T.; Valenti, E.; Zoccali, M.Context. The inner regions of the Galaxy are severely affected by extinction, which limits our capability to study the stellar populations present there. The Vista Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) ESO Public Survey has observed this zone at near-infrared wavelengths where reddening is highly diminished. Aims. By exploiting the high resolution and wide field-of-view of the VVV images we aim to produce a deep, homogeneous, and highly complete database of sources that cover the innermost regions of our Galaxy. Methods. To better deal with the high crowding in the surveyed areas, we have used point spread function (PSF)-fitting techniques to obtain a new photometry of the VVV images, in the ZY JHKs near-infrared filters available. Results. Our final catalogs contain close to one billion sources, with precise photometry in up to five near-infrared filters, and they are already being used to provide an unprecedented view of the inner Galactic stellar populations. We make these catalogs publicly available to the community. Our catalogs allow us to build the VVV giga-CMD, a series of color-magnitude diagrams of the inner regions of the Milky Way presented as supplementary videos. We provide a qualitative analysis of some representative CMDs of the inner regions of the Galaxy, and briefly mention some of the studies we have developed with this new dataset so far. © ESO 2018.Ítem Milky Way metallicity gradient from Gaia DR2 F/1O double-mode Cepheids(EDP Sciences, 2018-10) Lemasle, B.; Hajdu, G.; Kovtyukh, V.; Inno, L.; Grebel, E.K.; Catelan, M.; Bono, G.; François, P.; Kniazev, A.; Da Silva, R.; Storm, J.Context. The ratio of the first overtone (1O)/fundamental (F) periods of mixed-mode Cepheids that pulsate simultaneously in these two modes (F/1O) is metallicity-dependent. It can therefore be used to characterize the systems that host such variable stars. Aims. We want to take advantage of the F/1O double-mode Cepheids listed in the Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2) catalog to derive the metallicity gradient in the Milky Way disk. Methods. The metallicity is derived from the ratio of the first overtone and fundamental periods provided by Gaia DR2 while the Gaia DR2 parallaxes are used to determine the Galactocentric distances of the stars. Results. From a visual inspection of the light curves, it turns out that a large fraction (77%) of the Galactic F/1O double-mode Cepheids in Gaia DR2 are spurious detections. Gaia DR2 provides three new bona fide F/1O Cepheids. Combining them with the currently known F/1O Cepheids and using the Gaia DR2 parallaxes for the entire sample, we can derive the metallicity gradient in the Milky Way disk. We find a slope of -0.045 ± 0.007 dex kpc-1 using a bootstrap method, and of -0.040 ± 0.002 dex kpc-1 using a total least squares method. These results are in good agreement with previous determinations of the [Fe/H] gradient in the disk based on canonical Cepheids. Conclusions. The period ratio of F/1O Cepheids allows for a reliable determination of the metallicity gradient in the Milky Way, and in turn, in other systems that would be difficult to reach via classical spectroscopic methods. © ESO 2018.Ítem Near-IR period-luminosity relations for pulsating stars in ω Centauri (NGC 5139)(Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2017-08) Navarrete, C.; Catelan, M.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Alonso-García, J.; Gran, F.; Dékány, I.; Minniti, D.Aims. The globular cluster ω Centauri (NGC 5139) hosts hundreds of pulsating variable stars of different types, thus representing a treasure trove for studies of their corresponding period-luminosity (PL) relations. Our goal in this study is to obtain the PL relations for RR Lyrae and SX Phoenicis stars in the field of the cluster, based on high-quality, well-sampled light curves in the near-infrared (IR). Methods. Observations were carried out using the VISTA InfraRed CAMera (VIRCAM) mounted on the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA). A total of 42 epochs in J and 100 epochs in KS were obtained, spanning 352 days. Point-spread function photometry was performed using DoPhot and DAOPHOT crowded-field photometry packages in the outer and inner regions of the cluster, respectively. Results. Based on the comprehensive catalog of near-IR light curves thus secured, PL relations were obtained for the different types of pulsators in the cluster, both in the J and KS bands. This includes the first PL relations in the near-IR for fundamental-mode SX Phoenicis stars. The near-IR magnitudes and periods of Type II Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars were used to derive an updated true distance modulus to the cluster, with a resulting value of (m-M)0 = 13.708 ± 0.035 ± 0.10 mag, where the error bars correspond to the adopted statistical and systematic errors, respectively. Adding the errors in quadrature, this is equivalent to a heliocentric distance of 5.52 ± 0.27 kpc. © 2017 ESO.Ítem New type II Cepheids from VVV data towards the Galactic center(Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2019) Braga, V. F.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Minniti, D.; Ferreira Lopes, C. E.; Catelan, M.; Minniti, J. H.; Nikzat, F.; Zoccali, M.Context. The Galactic center (GC) is the densest region of the Milky Way. Variability surveys towards the GC potentially provide the largest number of variable stars per square degree within the Galaxy. However, high stellar density is also a drawback due to blending. Moreover, the GC is affected by extreme reddening, therefore near infrared observations are needed. Aims. We plan to detect new variable stars towards the GC, focusing on type II Cepheids (T2Cs) which have the advantage of being brighter than RR Lyrae stars. Methods. We perform parallel Lomb-Scargle and Generalized Lomb-Scargle periodogram analysis of the Ks-band time series of the VISTA variables in the Vía Láctea survey, to detect periodicities. We employ statistical parameters to clean our sample. We take account of periods, light amplitudes, distances, and proper motions to provide a classification of the candidate variables. Results. We detected 1019 periodic variable stars, of which 164 are T2Cs, 210 are Miras and 3 are classical Cepheids. We also found the first anomalous Cepheid in this region. We compare their photometric properties with overlapping catalogs and discuss their properties on the color-magnitude and Bailey diagrams. Conclusions. We present the most extensive catalog of T2Cs in the GC region to date. Offsets in E(J- Ks) and in the reddening law cause very large (∼1-2 kpc) uncertainties on distances in this region. We provide a catalog which will be the starting point for future spectroscopic surveys in the innermost regions of the Galaxy.Ítem New VVV Survey Globular Cluster Candidates in the Milky Way Bulge(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2017-11) Minniti, D.; Geisler, D.; Alonso-Garcia, J.; Palma, T.; Beamin, J.C.; Borissova, J.; Catelan, M.; Clariá, J.J.; Cohen, R.E.; Ramos, R.C.; Dias, B.; Fernández-Trincado, J.G.; Gómez, M.; Hempel, M.; Ivanov, V.D.; Kurtev, R.; Lucas, P.W.; Moni-Bidin, C.; Pullen, J.; Alegria, S.R.; Saito, R.K.; Valenti, E.It is likely that a number of Galactic globular clusters remain to be discovered, especially toward the Galactic bulge. High stellar density combined with high and differential interstellar reddening are the two major problems for finding globular clusters located toward the bulge. We use the deep near-IR photometry of the VISTA Variables in the Via Láctea (VVV) Survey to search for globular clusters projected toward the Galactic bulge, and hereby report the discovery of 22 new candidate globular clusters. These objects, detected as high density regions in our maps of bulge red giants, are confirmed as globular cluster candidates by their color-magnitude diagrams. We provide their coordinates as well as their near-IR color-magnitude diagrams, from which some basic parameters are derived, such as reddenings and heliocentric distances. The color-magnitude diagrams reveal well defined red giant branches in all cases, often including a prominent red clump. The new globular cluster candidates exhibit a variety of extinctions (0.06 < A Ks < 2.77) and distances (5.3 < D < 9.5 kpc). We also classify the globular cluster candidates into 10 metal-poor and 12 metal-rich clusters, based on the comparison of their color-magnitude diagrams with those of known globular clusters also observed by the VVV Survey. Finally, we argue that the census for Galactic globular clusters still remains incomplete, and that many more candidate globular clusters (particularly the low luminosity ones) await to be found and studied in detail in the central regions of the Milky Way.Ítem Persistent and occasional: Searching for the variable population of the ZTF/4MOST sky using ZTF Data Release 11(EDP Sciences, 2023-07-01) Sánchez-Sáez, P.; Arredondo, J.; Bayo, A.; Arévalo, P.; Bauer, F. E.; Cabrera-Vives, G.; Catelan, M.; Coppi, P.; Estévez, P. A.; Förster, F.; Hernández-García, L.; Huijse, P.; Kurtev, R.; Lira, P.; Muñoz Arancibia, A. M.; Pignata, G.We present a variability-, color-, and morphology-based classifier designed to identify multiple classes of transients and persistently variable and non-variable sources from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) Data Release 11 (DR11) light curves of extended and point sources. The main motivation to develop this model was to identify active galactic nuclei (AGN) at different redshift ranges to be observed by the 4MOST Chilean AGN/Galaxy Evolution Survey (ChANGES). That being said, it also serves as a more general time-domain astronomy study. Methods. The model uses nine colors computed from CatWISE and Pan-STARRS1 (PS1), a morphology score from PS1, and 61 single-band variability features computed from the ZTF DR11 g and r light curves. We trained two versions of the model, one for each ZTF band, since ZTF DR11 treats the light curves observed in a particular combination of field, filter, and charge-coupled device (CCD) quadrant independently. We used a hierarchical local classifier per parent node approach, where each node is composed of a balanced random forest model. We adopted a taxonomy with 17 classes: non-variable stars, non-variable galaxies, three transients (SNIa, SN-other, and CV/Nova), five classes of stochastic variables (lowz-AGN, midz-AGN, highz-AGN, Blazar, and YSO), and seven classes of periodic variables (LPV, EA, EB/EW, DSCT, RRL, CEP, and Periodic-other). Results. The macro-averaged precision, recall, and F1-score are 0.61, 0.75, and 0.62 for the g-band model, and 0.60, 0.74, and 0.61, for the r-band model. When grouping the four AGN classes (lowz-AGN, midz-AGN, highz-AGN, and Blazar) into one single class, its precision, recall, and F1-score are 1.00, 0.95, and 0.97, respectively, for both the g and r bands. This demonstrates the good performance of the model in classifying AGN candidates. We applied the model to all the sources in the ZTF/4MOST overlapping sky (-28 = Dec = 8.5), avoiding ZTF fields that cover the Galactic bulge (|gal_b| = 9 and gal_l = 50). This area includes 86 576 577 light curves in the g band and 140 409 824 in the r band with 20 or more observations and with an average magnitude in the corresponding band lower than 20.5. Only 0.73% of the g-band light curves and 2.62% of the r-band light curves were classified as stochastic, periodic, or transient with high probability (Pinit = 0.9). Even though the metrics obtained for the two models are similar, we find that, in general, more reliable results are obtained when using the g-band model. With it, we identified 384 242 AGN candidates (including low-, mid-, and high-redshift AGN and Blazars), 287 156 of which have Pinit = 0.9. © 2023 EDP Sciences. All rights reserved.Ítem Pulsating stars in ω Centauri. Near-IR properties and period-luminosity relations(EDP Sciences, 2017-09) Navarrete, C.; Catelan, M.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Alonso-García, J.; Gran, F.; Dékány, I.; Minniti, D.ω Centauri (NGC 5139) contains many variable stars of different types, including the pulsating type II Cepheids, RR Lyrae and SX Phoenicis stars. We carried out a deep, wide-field, near-infrared (IR) variability survey of ω Cen, using the VISTA telescope. We assembled an unprecedented homogeneous and complete J and KS near-IR catalog of variable stars in the field of ω Cen. In this paper we compare optical and near-IR light curves of RR Lyrae stars, emphasizing the main differences. Moreover, we discuss the ability of near-IR observations to detect SX Phoenicis stars given the fact that the amplitudes are much smaller in these bands compared to the optical. Finally, we consider the case in which all the pulsating stars in the three different variability types follow a single period-luminosity relation in the near-IR bands.Ítem Stellar streams around the Magellanic Clouds in 4D(Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2019-03-01) Navarrete, C.; Belokurov, V.; Catelan, M.; Jethwa, P.; Koposov, S. E.; Carballo-Bello, J. A.; Jofre, P.; Erkal, D.; Duffau, S.; Corral-Santana, J. M.We carried out a spectroscopic follow-up programme of the four new stellar stream candidates detected by Belokurov & Koposov in the outskirts of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using FORS2 (VLT). The medium-resolution spectra were used to measure the line-of-sight velocities, estimate stellar metallicities, and classify stars into Blue Horizontal Branch (BHB) and Blue Straggler (BS) stars. Using the 4-D phase-space information, we attribute approximately one half of our sample to the Magellanic Clouds, while the rest is part of the Galactic foreground. Only two of the four stream candidates are confirmed kinematically. While it is impossible to estimate the exact levels of MW contamination, the phase-space distribution of the entire sample of our Magellanic stars matches the expected velocity gradient for the LMC halo and extends as far as 33 deg (angular separation) or 29 kpc from the LMC centre. Our detections reinforce the idea that the halo of the LMC seems to be larger than previously expected, and its debris can be spread in the sky out to very large separations from the LMC centre. Finally, we provide some kinematic evidence that many of the stars analysed here have likely come from the Small Magellanic Cloud.Ítem THE ARAUCARIA PROJECT: A STUDY OF THE CLASSICAL CEPHEID IN THE ECLIPSING BINARY SYSTEM OGLE LMC562.05.9009 IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD(IOP PUBLISHING, 2015-12) Gieren, W.; Pilecki, B.; Pietrzyński, G.; Graczyk, D.; Udalski, A.; Soszyński, I.; Thompson, I.B.; Moroni, P.G.P.; Smolec, R.; Konorski, P.; Górski, M.; Karczmarek, P.; Suchomska, K.; Taormina, M.; Gallenne, A.; Storm, J.; Bono, G.; Catelan, M.; Szymański, M.; Kozłowski, S.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Wyrzykowski, Ł.; Poleski, R.; Skowron, J.; Minniti, D.; Ulaczyk, K.; Mróz, P.; Pawlak, M.; Nardetto, N.We present a detailed study of the classical Cepheid in the double-lined, highly eccentric eclipsing binary system OGLE-LMC562.05.9009. The Cepheid is a fundamental mode pulsator with a period of 2.988 days. The orbital period of the system is 1550 days. Using spectroscopic data from three 4-8-m telescopes and photometry spanning 22 years, we were able to derive the dynamical masses and radii of both stars with exquisite accuracy. Both stars in the system are very similar in mass, radius, and color, but the companion is a stable, non-pulsating star. The Cepheid is slightly more massive and bigger (M-1 = 3.70 +/- 0.03 Me-circle dot R-1 = 28.6 +/- 0.2 R-circle dot) than its companion (M-2 = 3.60. +/- 0.03 M-circle dot, R-2 = 26.6 +/- 0.2 R-circle dot). Within the observational uncertainties both stars have the same effective temperature of 6030 +/- 150 K. Evolutionary tracks place both stars inside the classical Cepheid instability strip, but it is likely that future improved temperature estimates will move the stable giant companion just beyond the red edge of the instability strip. Within current observational and theoretical uncertainties, both stars fit on a 205 Myr isochrone arguing for their common age. From our model, we determine a value of the projection factor of p = 1.37 +/- 0.07 for the Cepheid in the OGLE-LMC562.05.9009 system. This is the second Cepheid for which we could measure its p-factor with high precision directly from the analysis of an eclipsing binary system, which represents an important contribution toward a better calibration of Baade-Wesselink methods of distance determination for Cepheids.Ítem The Emergence of the Infrared Transient VVV-WIT-06(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2017-11) Minniti, D.; Saito, R.K.; Forster, F.; Pignata, G.; Ivanov, V.D.; Lucas, P.W.; Beamin, J.C.; Borissova, J.; Catelan, M.; Gonzalez, O.A.; Hempel, M.; Hsiao, E.; Kurtev, R.; Majaess, D.; Masetti, N.; Morrell, N.I.; Phillips, M.M.; Pullen, J.B.; Rejkuba, M.; Smith, L.; Surot, F.; Valenti, E.; Zoccali, M.We report the discovery of an enigmatic large-amplitude (ΔKs >10.5 mag) transient event in near-IR data obtained by the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) ESO Public Survey. The object (designated VVV-WIT- 06) is located at R.A.=17:07:18.917, decl.=-39:06:26.45 (J2000), corresponding to Galactic coordinates l=347.14539, b=0.88522. It exhibits a clear eruption, peaking at Ks=9 mag during 2013 July and fading to Ks ∼ 16.5 in 2017. Our late near-IR spectra show post-outburst emission lines, including some broad emission lines (upward of FWHM ∼ 3000 km s-1). We estimate a total extinction of AV = 10-15 mag in the surrounding field, and no progenitor was observed in ZYJHKs images obtained during 2010-2012 (down to Ks > 18.5mag). Subsequent deep near-IR imaging and spectroscopy, in concert with the available multiband photometry, indicate that VVV-WIT-06 may be either: (i) the closest Type I SN observed in about 400 years, (ii) an exotic highamplitude nova that would extend the known realm of such objects, or (iii) a stellar merger. In all of these cases, VVV-WIT-06 is a fascinating and curious astrophysical target under any of the scenarios considered.Ítem The Orbit of the New Milky Way Globular Cluster FSR1716 =VVV-GC05(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2018-08) Ramos, R.C.; Minniti, D.; Fernández-Trincado, J.G.; Alonso-Garcia, J.; Catelan, M.; Gran, F.; Hajdu, G.; Hanke, M.; Hempel, M.; Diaz, E.M.; Pérez-Villegas, A.; Rojas-Arriagada, A.; Zoccali, M.We use deep, multi-epoch near-IR images of the VISTA Variables in the Via Lictea (VVV) Survey to measure proper motions (PMs) of stars in the Milky Way globular cluster (GC) FSR1716 = VVV-GC05. The colormagnitude diagram of this object, made by using PM-selected members, shows an extended horizontal branch, nine confirmed RR Lyrae (RRL) members in the instability strip, and possibly several hotter stars extending to the blue. Based on the fundamental-mode (ab-type) RRL stars that move coherently with the cluster, we confirmed that FSR1716 is an Oosterhoff I GC with a mean period aPabn = 0.574 days. Intriguingly, we detect tidal extensions to both sides of this cluster in the spatial distribution of PM-selected member stars. Also, one of the confirmed RRabs is located -11 arcmin in projection from the cluster center, suggesting that FSR1716 may be losing stars due to the gravitational interaction with the Galaxy. We also measure radial velocities (RVs) for five cluster red giants selected using the PMs. The combination of RVs and PMs allow us to compute for the first time the orbit of this GC, using an updated Galactic potential. The orbit results to be confined within|Zmax| < 2.0 kpc, and has eccentricity 0.4 < e < 0.6, with perigalactic distance 1.5 < Rperi (kpc) < 2.3, and apogalactic distance 5.3 < Rapo (kpc) < 6.4. We conclude that, in agreement with its relatively low metallicity ([Fe/H] =-1.4 dex), this is an inner-halo GC plunging into the disk of the Galaxy. As such, this is a unique object with which to test the dynamical processes that contribute to the disruption of Galactic GCs. © 2018. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Ítem The VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea infrared variability catalogue (VIVA-I)(Oxford University Press, 2020) Lopes, C.; Cross, N.; Catelan, M.; Minniti, D.; Hempel, M.; Lucas, P.; Angeloni, R.; Jablonsky, F.; Braga, V.; Leao, I.; Herpich, F.; Alonso-Garcia, J.High extinction and crowding create a natural limitation for optical surveys towards the central regions of the Milky Way, where the gas and dust are mainly confined. Large-scale near-infrared (IR) surveys of the Galactic plane and bulge are a good opportunity to explore open scientific questions as well as to test our capability to explore future data sets efficiently. Thanks to the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) ESO public survey, it is now possible to explore a large number of objects in those regions. This paper addresses the variability analysis of all VVV point sources having more than 10 observations in VVVDR4 using a novel approach. In total, the near-IR light curves of 288 378 769 sources were analysed using methods developed in the New Insight Into Time Series Analysis project. As a result, we present a complete sample having 44 998 752 variable star candidates (VVV-CVSC), which include accurate individual coordinates, near-IR magnitudes (Z,Y,J, and Hs), extinctions A(Ks), variability indices, periods, amplitudes, among other parameters to assess the science. Unfortunately, a side effect of having a highly complete sample, is also having a high level of contamination by non-variable (contamination ratio of non-variables to variables is slightly over 10:1). To deal with this, we also provide some flags and parameters that can be used by the community to decrease the number of variable candidates without heavily decreasing the completeness of the sample. In particular, we cross-identified 339 601 of our sources with Simbad and AAVSO data bases, which provide us with information for these objects at other wavelengths. This subsample constitutes a unique resource to study the corresponding near-IR variability of known sources as well as to assess the IR variability related with X-ray and gamma-ray sources. On the other hand, the other ∼99.5 per cent sources in our sample constitutes a number of potentially new objects with variability information for the heavily crowded and reddened regions of the Galactic plane and bulge. The present results also provide an important queryable resource to perform variability analysis and to characterize ongoing and future surveys like TESS and LSST.