arXiv subjects

A. R. Lopes

Publications and source records attributed to A. R. Lopes.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

S-PLUS Clusters And Large-scale Environments (SCALE): I. A catalog of known clusters and groups in DR5 and a pilot study of Abell 4038

Within the framework of the Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS), we introduce ${\bf S}$-PLUS ${\bf C}$lusters ${\bf A}$nd ${\bf L}$arge-scale ${\bf E}$nvironments (SCALE), a project dedicated to the study of galaxy clusters, groups, and their environments using 12-band photometry of S-PLUS combined with spectroscopic and photometric data from the literature. In this first paper, we present a catalog of 83 previously known systems in the redshift range $0.008 \leq z_{\rm spec} \leq 0.1$, for which we derive $R_{200}$, $M_{200}$, and velocity dispersions. Spectroscopic members are selected and matched with S-PLUS photometric redshifts (photo-$z$s). We find very good agreement between literature spectroscopic redshifts (spec-$z$s) and S-PLUS photometric redshifts (photo-$z$s), demonstrating the potential of the latter for cluster and group membership determination. As a proof of concept, we obtain photometric memberships for Abell 4038 using the Reliable Photometric Membership technique. A two- and three-dimensional analysis of the region within $10 h^{-1}$ Mpc ($10\times R_{200}$) from the center of Abell 4038 reveals about a dozen substructures including two additional clusters within $1.3\times R_{200}$ (Abell 4038B and Abell 4049). A color-luminosity segregation analysis shows that more luminous (less luminous) galaxies are redder (bluer), as expected. Low-concentration galaxies ($C \leq 2.5$) exhibit a weaker color-luminosity dependence, compared to higher-concentration ones, indicating mass-dependent evolutionary pathways that challenge a simple morphology-color dichotomy, with low-luminosity galaxies presenting bluer colors largely independent of concentration. The SCALE catalog provides a valuable basis for future studies of large-scale structures and their connection to galaxy evolution.

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arXiv2026

The S-PLUS Fornax Project (S+FP): Fornax-like clusters in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations

The Fornax galaxy cluster constitutes a suitable laboratory to explore the evolution of galaxies in a dense environment. Recently, the Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS) has obtained unprecedented photometric information of Fornax, revealing new features regarding its galaxy populations and surrounding regions. In this context, simulations are invaluable tools to interpret the past, present and fate of such observational findings. We aim to deliver a robust photometric catalog of simulated Fornax-like systems in cosmological context, to consistently contrast them with S-PLUS data. We analyze Fornax analogs from the EAGLE and IllustrisTNG simulations, selected using observed properties of the Fornax cluster and its central galaxy NGC 1399. For each system, we generated synthetic photometry in the 12 S-PLUS bands using the SKIRT radiative transfer code, reproducing the instrumental configuration of the S-PLUS survey. Simulated data cubes, mock images, spectral energy distributions, magnitudes and colors were obtained for each galaxy in our selected simulated Fornax analogs. The synthetic photometry and spectra derived from simulations show a good agreement with the S-PLUS observations. We identify particular systems which show some similarity with the spatial distribution of galaxies in Fornax. Such simulated candidates reproduce the observed color-magnitude relation and the spatial substructure between the cluster core and the Fornax A region. Also, simulated galaxies are bluer at higher cluster-centric distances, in agreement with observations. Although modest discrepancies were obtained between the observed and simulated color-magnitude diagrams in some cases, our results support the suitability of our selection criteria and synthetic photometry, and the reliability of current cosmological simulations to reproduce key general features of the Fornax cluster.

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arXiv2026

The S-PLUS Fornax Project (S+FP): An extragalactic catalog covering $\sim$ 5 virial radii around NGC 1399 with galaxy properties

Observational extragalactic catalogs over wide sky areas are essential for uncovering the large-scale structure of the Universe. They allow, among others, cosmological studies and density analyses that impose strong constraints on models of galaxy formation and evolution. By taking advantage of the wide field images and the 12 optical bands of the Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS), we aim at providing a catalog of galaxies located, in projection, towards the Fornax galaxy cluster, within $\sim$ 5 virial radii in right ascension (R.A.) and $\sim$ 3 virial radius in declination (Dec) around NGC,1399, the dominant galaxy of the cluster. Such a catalog will allow unprecedented large-scale structure studies in that sky region. Supervised deep learning algorithms have been developed, utilizing neural networks complemented with dimensionality reduction techniques, to classify and separate spurious objects, stars and galaxies in a photometric catalog previously built for the S-PLUS Fornax Project (S+FP). That catalog was built using a combination of SExtractor configurations optimized for galaxy detection and characterization. A catalog of 119,580 galaxies was obtained in the direction of the Fornax cluster containing photometric information in the 12 optical bands of S-PLUS complemented with GALEX (UV), VHS-VISTA (NIR) and AllWISE (MIR) data. We estimate photometric redshifts ({\sigma}_ NMAD $\sim$ 0.0219) with a lower limit of z_ lim $\sim$ 0.03. Stellar masses, star formation rates (SFRs) and D4000_N index estimates were obtained through a machine learning approach, by matching S-PLUS photometric data to SDSS spectroscopic data. The completeness of the catalog (72%) was calculated by comparing with mock catalogs ...

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arXiv2025

The S-PLUS Fornax Project (S+FP): Mapping H$\alpha$+[NII] emission in 77 Fornax galaxy members reaching $\sim$4 Rvir

The Fornax cluster, the second-largest galaxy cluster within 20 Mpc, presents an ideal environment for studying environmental effects on galaxy evolution. Utilizing data from the Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS), this study explores the H$\alpha$+[NII] emission maps across an area of approximately 208 square degrees around NGC 1399. For such, a dedicated semi-automated pipeline, Pixel-to-Pixel Emission Line Estimate (PELE), was developed to generate emission line maps by processing S-PLUS images using the Three Filter Method. A morphological analysis was conducted using the ASTROMORPHLIB package to determine whether H$\alpha$+[NII] emitters exhibit perturbed features. The study successfully detected 77 H$\alpha$+[NII] emitters with $r<18$ mag, extending to four times the virial radius of the Fornax cluster. PELE demonstrated its ability to recover flux down to 2e-17 erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ when compared to H$\alpha$ maps from MUSE/VLT. Among the emitters, 25% are early-type galaxies (ETG) and 75% late-type galaxies (LTG). Signs of morphological perturbation or merger activity are observed in 44% of the LTG and in three ETG located beyond the cluster's virial radius. A significant fraction (91%) of the emitters are identified as recent infallers, primarily located in the northwestern region of the cluster, while others are associated with the infalling group Fornax A in the southwest. Disturbed, low-mass galaxies at larger cluster-centric distances provide evidence of galaxies begin transforming before entering the main cluster. This study demonstrates S-PLUS's effectiveness in detecting emitters, whose distribution reflects the Fornax cluster's assembly history, with LTG linked to recent infall from the field, possibly along a Fornax-Eridanus filament, and ETG may have evolved prior to entry.

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arXiv2025

The S-PLUS Fornax Project (S+FP): Mapping globular clusters systems within 5 virial radii around NGC 1399

We present the largest sample ($\sim$13,000 candidates, $\sim$3000 of wich are bona-fide candidates) of globular cluster (GCs) candidates reported in the Fornax Cluster so far. The survey is centered on the NGC 1399 galaxy, extending out to 5 virial radii (\rv) of the cluster. We carried out a photometric study using images observed in the 12-bands system of the Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS), corresponding to 106 pointings, covering a sky area of $\sim$208 square degrees. Studying the properties of spectroscopically confirmed GCs, we have designed a method to select GC candidates using structural and photometric parameters. We found evidence of color bimodality in 2 broad bands colors, namely $(g-i)_{0}$ and $(g-z)_{0}$, while, in the narrow bands, we did not find strong statistical evidence to confirm bimodality in any color. We analyzed the GCs luminosity functions (GCLF) in the 12-bands of S-PLUS, and we can highlight two points: a) due to the relatively shallow depth of S-PLUS, it is only possible to observe the bright end of the GCLF and, b) at that level, in all the bands it can be appreciated the log-normal distribution typical for GC systems. With the spatial coverage reached in this study, we are able for the first time explore the large scale distribution of GCs within and around a galaxy cluster. In particular, we noted that the GCs might be clustered along substructures, which traces the current cluster build up.

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arXiv2025

The Southern Photometrical Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS): searching for metal-poor dwarf galaxies

The metal content of a galaxy's interstellar medium reflects the interplay between different evolutionary processes such as feedback from massive stars and the accretion of gas from the intergalactic medium. Despite the expected abundance of low-luminosity galaxies, the low-mass and low-metallicity regime remains relatively understudied. Since the properties of their interstellar medium resemble those of early galaxies, identifying such objects in the Local Universe is crucial to understand the early stages of galaxy evolution. We used the DR3 catalog of the Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS) to select low-metallicity dwarf galaxy candidates based on color selection criteria typical of metal-poor, star-forming, low-mass systems. The final sample contains approximately 50 candidates. Spectral energy distribution fitting of the 12 S-PLUS bands reveals that $\sim$ 60% of the candidates are best fit by models with low stellar metallicities. We obtained long-slit observations with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph to follow-up a pilot sample and confirm whether these galaxies have low metallicities. We find oxygen abundances in the range $7.28<$ 12 + log(O/H) $< 7.82$ (4% to 13% of the solar value), confirming their metal-poor nature. Most targets are outliers in the mass-metallicity relation, i.e. they display a low metal content relative to their observed stellar masses. In some cases, perturbed optical morphologies might give evidence of dwarf-dwarf interactions or mergers. These results suggest that the low oxygen abundances may be associated with an external event causing the accretion of metal-poor gas, which dilutes the oxygen abundance in these systems.

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arXiv2025

Mapping H$\alpha$-Excess Candidate Point Sources in the Southern Hemisphere Using S-PLUS Data

Context. We use the Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS) Fourth Data Release (DR4) to identify and classify H$\alpha$-excess point sources in the Southern Sky, combining photometric data from 12 S-PLUS filters with machine learning to improve classification of H$\alpha$-related phenomena. Aims. Our goal is to classify H$\alpha$-excess point sources by distinguishing Galactic and extragalactic objects, particularly those with redshifted emission lines, and identifying variability phenomena like RR Lyrae stars. Methods. We selected H$\alpha$-excess candidates using the ($r - J0660$) vs. ($r - i$) colour-colour diagram from the S-PLUS main survey (MS) and Galactic Disk Survey (GDS). UMAP for dimensionality reduction and HDBSCAN clustering were used to separate source types. Infrared data was incorporated, and a Random Forest model was trained on clustering results to identify key colour features. New colour-colour diagrams from S-PLUS MS and infrared data offer a preliminary classification. Results. Combining multiwavelength data with machine learning significantly improved H$\alpha$-excess source classification. We identified 6956 sources with excess in the $J0660$ filter. Cross-matching with SIMBAD explored object types, including emission-line stars, young stellar objects, nebulae, stellar binaries, cataclysmic variables, QSOs, AGNs, and galaxies. Using S-PLUS colours and machine learning, we separated RR Lyrae stars from other sources. The separation of Galactic and extragalactic sources was clearer, but distinguishing cataclysmic variables from QSOs at certain redshifts remained challenging. Infrared data refined the classification, and the Random Forest model highlighted key colour features for future follow-up spectroscopy.

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arXiv2024

Stellar atmospheric parameters and chemical abundances of about 5 million stars from S-PLUS multi-band photometry

Context. Spectroscopic surveys like APOGEE, GALAH, and LAMOST have significantly advanced our understanding of the Milky Way by providing extensive stellar parameters and chemical abundances. Complementing these, photometric surveys with narrow/medium-band filters, such as the Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS), offer the potential to estimate stellar parameters and abundances for a much larger number of stars. Aims. This work develops methodologies to extract stellar atmospheric parameters and selected chemical abundances from S-PLUS photometric data, which spans ~3000 square degrees using seven narrowband and five broadband filters. Methods. Using 66 S-PLUS colors, we estimated parameters based on training samples from LAMOST, APOGEE, and GALAH, applying Cost-Sensitive Neural Networks (NN) and Random Forests (RF). We tested for spurious correlations by including abundances not covered by the S-PLUS filters and evaluated NN and RF performance, with NN consistently outperforming RF. Including Teff and log g as features improved accuracy by ~3%. We retained only parameters with a goodness-of-fit above 50%. Results. Our approach provides reliable estimates of fundamental parameters (Teff, log g, [Fe/H]) and abundance ratios such as [{\alpha}/Fe], [Al/Fe], [C/Fe], [Li/Fe], and [Mg/Fe] for ~5 million stars, with goodness-of-fit >60%. Additional ratios like [Cu/Fe], [O/Fe], and [Si/Fe] were derived but are less accurate. Validation using star clusters, TESS, and J-PLUS data confirmed the robustness of our methodology. Conclusions. By leveraging S-PLUS photometry and machine learning, we present a cost-effective alternative to high-resolution spectroscopy for deriving stellar parameters and abundances, enabling insights into Milky Way stellar populations and supporting future classification efforts.

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arXiv2024

The S-PLUS Fornax Project (S+FP): SExtractor detection and measurement of nearby galaxies in large photometric surveys

All-sky multi-band photometric surveys represent a unique opportunity of exploring rich nearby galaxy clusters up to several virial radii, reaching the filament regions where pre-processing is expected to occur. These projects aim to tackle a large number of astrophysical topics, encompassing both the galactic and extragalactic fields. In that sense, generating large catalogues with homogeneous photometry for both resolved and unresolved sources that might be interesting to achieve specific goals, imposes a compromise when choosing the set of parameters to automatically detect and measure such a plethora of objects. In this work we present the acquired experience on studying the galaxy content of the Fornax cluster using large catalogues obtained by the Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS). We realized that some Fornax bright galaxies are missed in the S-PLUS iDR4 catalogues. In addition, Fornax star-forming galaxies are included as multiple detections due to over-deblending. To solve those issues, we performed specific SExtractor runs to identify the proper set of parameters to recover as many Fornax galaxies as possible with confident photometry and avoiding duplications. From that process, we obtained new catalogs containing 12-band improved photometry for ~ 3 x 10^6 resolved and unresolved sources in an area of ~ 208 deg2 in the direction of the Fornax cluster. Together with identifying the main difficulties to carry out the study of nearby groups and clusters of galaxies using S-PLUS catalogs, we also share possible solutions to face issues that seem to be common to other ongoing photometric surveys.

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arXiv2024

The S-PLUS Fornax Project (S+FP): A first 12-band glimpse of the Fornax galaxy cluster

The Fornax galaxy cluster is the richest nearby (D ~ 20 Mpc) galaxy association in the southern sky. As such, it provides a wealth of oportunities to elucidate on the processes where environment holds a key role in transforming galaxies. Although it has been the focus of many studies, Fornax has never been explored with contiguous homogeneous wide-field imaging in 12 photometric narrow- and broad-bands like those provided by the Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS). In this paper we present the S-PLUS Fornax Project (S+FP) that aims to comprehensively analyse the galaxy content of the Fornax cluster using S-PLUS. Our data set consists of 106 S-PLUS wide-field frames (FoV ~ 1.4 x 1.4 deg$^2$) observed in five SDSS-like ugriz broad-bands and seven narrow-bands covering specific spectroscopic features like [OII], CaII H+K, H$δ$, G-band, Mg b triplet, H$α$, and the CaII triplet. Based on S-PLUS specific automated photometry, aimed at correctly detecting Fornax galaxies and globular clusters in S-PLUS images, our dataset provides the community with catalogues containing homogeneous 12-band photometry for ~ 3 x 10$^6$ resolved and unresolved objects within a region extending over ~ 208 deg$^2$ (~ 5 Rvir in RA) around Fornax' central galaxy, NGC 1399. We further explore the EAGLE and IllustrisTNG cosmological simulations to identify 45 Fornax-like clusters and generate mock images on all 12 S-PLUS bands of these structures down to galaxies with M$\star \geq 10^8$ M$\odot$. The S+FP dataset we put forward in this first paper of a series will enable a variety of studies some of which are briefly presented.

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arXiv2022

Statistical analysis of global properties of galaxies in the direction of the Fornax cluster with S-PLUS

In the context of the S-PLUS Fornax Project (S+FP), we analyze the galaxy population in the direction of the Fornax cluster ($D\approx 20$~Mpc). We have 23 fields of size $1.4^{\circ}\times 1.4^{\circ}$, covering the projected positions of 999 Fornax galaxies reported in the literature. 244 of those galaxies are detected with confident photometry in our fields which were observed simultaneously in 12 photometric bands. Besides those of Fornax galaxies, we obtained confident structural and photometric parameters for $\approx 3\times10^5$ additional galaxies detected in our fields. In this work we present preliminary results on the characterization of the galaxy population of the Fornax cluster with respect to the background galaxy population. Among other goals, we expect that such a characterization provides photometric criteria to identify new candidate members of the cluster.

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arXiv2022

Photometric and Morphological Analysis of Fornax Galaxies through S-PLUS

The photometric and morphological analysis of galaxies in clusters provides invaluable information regarding the evolutionary stage of the cluster itself. In addition, it helps to understand how the environment affects the properties of the galaxies and, as a consequence, their evolutionary path. In this contribution we present the first steps on the photometric and morphological analysis of galaxies in the Fornax cluster using S-PLUS data. We expect that the S-PLUS novel filter set and wide field coverage allow us to obtain new information about Fornax and its galaxy population.

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arXiv2021

On the discovery of stars, quasars, and galaxies in the Southern Hemisphere with S-PLUS DR2

This paper provides a catalogue of stars, quasars, and galaxies for the Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey Data Release 2 (S-PLUS DR2) in the Stripe 82 region. We show that a 12-band filter system (5 Sloan-like and 7 narrow bands) allows better performance for object classification than the usual analysis based solely on broad bands (regardless of infrared information). Moreover, we show that our classification is robust against missing values. Using spectroscopically confirmed sources retrieved from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR16 and DR14Q, we train a random forest classifier with the 12 S-PLUS magnitudes + 4 morphological features. A second random forest classifier is trained with the addition of the W1 (3.4 $μ$m) and W2 (4.6 $μ$m) magnitudes from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Forty-four percent of our catalogue have WISE counterparts and are provided with classification from both models. We achieve 95.76% (52.47%) of quasar purity, 95.88% (92.24%) of quasar completeness, 99.44% (98.17%) of star purity, 98.22% (78.56%) of star completeness, 98.04% (81.39%) of galaxy purity, and 98.8% (85.37%) of galaxy completeness for the first (second) classifier, for which the metrics were calculated on objects with (without) WISE counterpart. A total of 2,926,787 objects that are not in our spectroscopic sample were labelled, obtaining 335,956 quasars, 1,347,340 stars, and 1,243,391 galaxies. From those, 7.4%, 76.0%, and 58.4% were classified with probabilities above 80%. The catalogue with classification and probabilities for Stripe 82 S-PLUS DR2 is available for download.

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arXiv2021

The Fornax Cluster through S-PLUS

The Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS) aims to map $\approx$ 9300 deg$^2$ of the Southern sky using the Javalambre filter system of 12 optical bands, 5 Sloan-like filters and 7 narrow-band filters centered on several prominent stellar features ([OII], Ca H+K, D4000, H$_δ$, Mgb, H$_α$ and CaT). S-PLUS is carried out with the T80-South, a new robotic 0.826-m telescope located on CTIO, equipped with a wide FoV camera (2 deg$^2$). In this poster we introduce project #59 of the S-PLUS collaboration aimed at studying the Fornax galaxy cluster covering an sky area of $\approx$ 11 $\times$ 7 deg$^2$, and with homogeneous photometry in the 12 optical bands of S-PLUS (Coordinator: A. Smith Castelli).

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arXiv2014

Relativistic cosmology number densities in void-Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi models

The goal of this work is to compute the number density of far-IR selected galaxies in the comoving frame and along the past lightcone of observationally constrained LTB models and to compare those results with their standard model counterparts. We derived integral number densities and differential number densities using different cosmological distance definitions in the LTB models. Then, we computed selection functions and consistency functions for the luminosity functions in the combined fields of the Herschel/PACS evolutionary probe (PEP) survey in both standard and void cosmologies, from which we derived the observed values of the above-mentioned densities. We used the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistics to study both the evolution of the consistency functions and its connection to the evolution of the comoving density of sources. Finally, we fitted the power-law behaviour of the densities along the observer's past lightcone. The analysis of the comoving number density shows that the increased flexibility of the LTB models is not enough to fit the observed redshift evolution of the number counts, if it is specialised to a recent best-fit giant void parametrisation. The results for the power-law fits of the densities along the observer's past lightcone show general agreement across both cosmological models studied here around a slope of -2.5 $\pm$ 0.1 for the integral number density on the luminosity-distance volumes. The differential number densities show much bigger slope discrepancies. We conclude that the differential number densities on the observer's past lightcone were still rendered dependent on the cosmological model by the flux limits of the PEP survey. In addition, we show that an intrinsic evolution of the sources must be assumed to fit the comoving number-density redshift evolution in the giant void parametrisation for the LTB models used in this work.

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