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L. R. Bedin

Publications and source records attributed to L. R. Bedin.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
arXiv2009

VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV): The public ESO near-IR variability survey of the Milky Way

We describe the public ESO near-IR variability survey (VVV) scanning the Milky Way bulge and an adjacent section of the mid-plane where star formation activity is high. The survey will take 1929 hours of observations with the 4-metre VISTA telescope during five years (2010-2014), covering ~10^9 point sources across an area of 520 deg^2, including 33 known globular clusters and ~350 open clusters. The final product will be a deep near-IR atlas in five passbands (0.9-2.5 microns) and a catalogue of more than 10^6 variable point sources. Unlike single-epoch surveys that, in most cases, only produce 2-D maps, the VVV variable star survey will enable the construction of a 3-D map of the surveyed region using well-understood distance indicators such as RR Lyrae stars, and Cepheids. It will yield important information on the ages of the populations. The observations will be combined with data from MACHO, OGLE, EROS, VST, Spitzer, HST, Chandra, INTEGRAL, WISE, Fermi LAT, XMM-Newton, GAIA and ALMA for a complete understanding of the variable sources in the inner Milky Way. This public survey will provide data available to the whole community and therefore will enable further studies of the history of the Milky Way, its globular cluster evolution, and the population census of the Galactic Bulge and center, as well as the investigations of the star forming regions in the disk. The combined variable star catalogues will have important implications for theoretical investigations of pulsation properties of stars.

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arXiv2009

Multiple stellar populations in the Galactic globular cluster NGC 6752

We have carried out high-precision photometry on a large number of archival HST images of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 6752, to search for signs of multiple stellar populations. We find a broadened main sequence, and demonstrate that this broadening cannot be attributed either to binaries or to photometric errors. There is also some indication of a main-sequence split. No significant spread could be found along the subgiant branch, however. Ground-based photometry reveals that in the U vs. (U-B) color-magnitude diagram the red-giant branch exhibits a clear color spread, which we have been able to correlate with variations in Na and O abundances. In particular the Na-rich, O-poor stars identified by Carretta et al. (2007) define a sequence on the red side of the red-giant branch, while Na-poor, O-rich stars populate a bluer, more dispersed portion of the red-giant branch.

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arXiv2009

The bottom of the white dwarf cooling sequence in the old open cluster NGC 2158

We use 10 orbits of Advanced Camera for Surveys observations to reach the end of the white dwarf cooling sequence in the solar-metallicity open cluster NGC 2158. Our photometry and completeness tests show that the end falls at magnitude m_F606W = 27.5 +/- 0.15, which implies an age between ~1.8 and ~2.0 Gyr, consistent with the age of 1.9 +/- 0.2 Gyr obtained from fits to the main-sequence turn-off. The faintest white dwarfs show a clear turn toward bluer colors, as predicted by theoretical isochrones.

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arXiv2009

Astrometry and photometry with HST-WFC3. I. Geometric distortion corrections of F225W, F275W, F336W bands of the UVIS-channel

An accurate geometric distortion solution for the Hubble Space Telescope UVIS-channel of Wide Field Camera 3 is the first step towards its use for high precision astrometry. In this work we present an average correction that enables a relative astrometric accuracy of ~1 mas (in each axis for well exposed stars) in three broad-band ultraviolet filters (F225W, F275W, and F336W). More data and a better understanding of the instrument are required to constrain the solution to a higher level of accuracy.

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arXiv2009

Radial distribution of the multiple stellar populations in omega Centauri

We present a detailed study of the radial distribution of the multiple populations identified in the Galactic globular cluster omega Cen. We used both space-based images (ACS/WFC and WFPC2) and ground-based images (FORS1@VLT and WFI@2.2m ESO telescopes) to map the cluster from the inner core to the outskirts (~20 arcmin). These data sets have been used to extract high-accuracy photometry for the construction of color-magnitude diagrams and astrometric positions of ~900 000 stars. We find that in the inner ~2 core radii the blue main sequence (bMS) stars slightly dominate the red main sequence (rMS) in number. At greater distances from the cluster center, the relative numbers of bMS stars with respect to rMS drop steeply, out to ~8 arcmin, and then remain constant out to the limit of our observations. We also find that the dispersion of the Gaussian that best fits the color distribution within the bMS is significantly greater than the dispersion of the Gaussian that best fits the color distribution within the rMS. In addition, the relative number of intermediate-metallicity red-giant-branch stars which includes the progeny of the bMS) with respect to the metal-poor component (the progeny of the rMS) follows a trend similar to that of the main-sequence star-count ratio N_bMS/N_rMS. The most metal-rich component of the red-giant branch follows the same distribution as the intermediate-metallicity component. We briefly discuss the possible implications of the observed radial distribution of the different stellar components in omega Cen.

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arXiv2009

The Radial Distribution of the Two Stellar Populations in NGC 1851

We have analyzed ACS/WFC and WFPC2 images from HST, as well as ground-based data to study the radial distribution of the double sub-giant branch (SGB) recently discovered in the Galactic globular cluster NGC 1851. We found that the SGB split can be followed all the way from the cluster center out to at least 8\arcmin from the center. Beyond this distance out to the tidal radius at $\sim 11.7$ arcmin, there are simply too few SGB stars to dentify the sequences. The number ratio of the bright SGB to the faint SGB stars shows no significant radial trend. Furthermore, we have found that the ratio of blue horizontal-branch (HB) stars plus RR Lyrae to the red HB stars also remains constant from the cluster center to the outer envelope.

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arXiv2009

A double stellar generation in the Globular Cluster NGC6656 (M 22). Two stellar groups with different iron and s-process element abundance

AIMS. In this paper we present the chemical abundance analysis from high resolution UVES spectra of seventeen bright giant stars of the Globular Cluster M~22. RESULTS. We obtained an average iron abundance of [Fe/H]=-1.76\pm0.02 (internal errors only) and an αenhancement of 0.36\pm0.04 (internal errors only). Na and O, and Al and O follow the well known anti-correlation found in many other GCs. We identified two groups of stars with significantly different abundances of the s-process elements Y, Zr and Ba. The relative numbers of the two group members are very similar to the ratio of the stars in the two SGBs of M22 recently found by Piotto (2009). Y and Ba abundances do not correlate with Na, O and Al. The s-element rich stars are also richer in iron and have higher Ca abundances. The results from high resolution spectra have been further confirmed by lower resolution GIRAFFE spectra of fourteen additional M22 stars. GIRAFFE spectra show also that the Eu -- a pure r-process element -- abundance is not related to the iron content. We discuss the chemical abundance pattern of M22 stars in the context of the multiple stellar populations in GC scenario.

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arXiv2009

Mixed Populations in Globular Clusters: Et Tu, 47 Tuc?

We exploit the large number of archival HST images of 47 Tuc to examine its subgiant branch (SGB) and main sequence (MS) for signs of multiple populations. In the cluster core, we find that the cluster's SGB exhibits a clear spread in luminosity, with at least two distinct components: a brighter one with a spread that is real but not bimodal, and a second one about 0.05 mag fainter, containing about 10% of the stars. In a less crowded field 6 arcminutes from the center, we find that the MS is broadened much more than can be accounted for by photometric errors, and that this broadening increases at fainter magnitudes.

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arXiv2009

The End of the White Dwarf Cooling Sequence in M4: an efficient approach

We use 14 orbits of ACS observations to reach the end of the white-dwarf cooling sequence in the globular cluster M4. Our photometry and completeness tests show that the end is located at magnitude m_F606W = 28.5+/-0.1, which implies an age of 11.6+/-0.6 Gyr (internal errors only). This is consistent with the age from fits to the main sequence turn-off (12.0+/-1.4 Gyr).

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arXiv2009

Solar analogues in open clusters: The case of M67

Solar analogues are fundamental targets for a better understanding of our Sun and our Solar System. Usually, this research is limited to field stars, which offer several advantages and limitations. In this work, we present the results of a research of solar twins performed for the first time in a open cluster, namely M67. Our analysis allowed us to find five solar twins and also to derive a solar colour of (B-V)0=0.649+/-0.016 and a cluster distance modulus of 9.63+/-0.08. This study encourages us to apply the same method to other open clusters, and to do further investigations for planet search in the solar twins we find.

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arXiv2008

Ground-based CCD astrometry with wide field imagers. III. WFI@2.2m proper-motion catalog of the globular cluster omega Centauri

Omega Centauri is the most well studied Globular Cluster because of its numerous puzzling features. Intensive spectroscopic follow-up observing campaigns targeting stars at different positions on the color-magnitude diagram promises to clarify some of these peculiarities. To able to target cluster members reliably during spectroscopic surveys and both spatial and radial distributions in the cluster outskirts without including field stars, a high quality proper-motion catalog of omega Cen and membership probability determination are required. The only available wide field proper-motion catalog of omega Cen is derived from photographic plates, and only for stars brighter than B~16. Using ESO archive data, we create a new, CCD-based, proper-motion catalog for this cluster, extending to B~20. We used the high precision astrometric software developed specifically for data acquired by WFI@2.2m telescope and presented in the first paper of this series. We achieved a good cluster-field separation with a temporal base-line of only four years. We corrected our photometry for sky-concentration effects. We provide calibrated photometry for UBVRI wide-band data plus narrow-band filter data centered on H_alpha for almost 360 000 stars. We can confirm that the omega Cen metal-poor and the metal-rich components have the same proper motion, and demonstrate that the metal-intermediate component in addition exhibits the same mean motion as the other RGB stars. We provided membership probability determination for published omega Cen variable star catalogs. Our catalog extends the proper-motion measurements to fainter than the cluster turn-off luminosity, and covers a wide area (~33'x33') around the center of omega Cen. Our catalog is now electronically available to the astronomical community.

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arXiv2008

Multiple stellar populations in Magellanic Clouds clusters. I. An ordinary feature for intermediate age globulars in the LMC?

The discovery of multiple MSs in NGC2808 and Omega Centauri, and multiple SGBs in NGC1851 and NGC6388 has challenged the long-held paradigm that GCs consist of simple stellar populations. This picture has been further complicated by recent studies of the LMC intermediate-age clusters, where the MSTO was found to be bimodal or broadened. We have undertaken a study of archival HST images of LMC and SMC clusters with the aim of measuring the frequency of clusters with evidence of multiple or prolonged star formation events and determining their main properties. In this paper, we analyse the CMD of 16 intermediate-age LMC clusters. We find that 11 clusters show an anomalous spread (or split) in color and magnitude around the MSTO. We demonstrate that the observed feature is unequivocally associated to the clusters and that it is not an artifact due to photometric errors, differential reddening or binaries. We confirm that NGC 1806 and NGC 1846 clearly exhibit two distinct MSTOs and observe, for the first time, a double MSTO in NGC 1751. In these three clusters the population corresponding to the brighter MSTO includes more than two-thirds of cluster stellar population. We confirm the presence of multiple stellar populations in NGC 1783 and suggest that the MSTO of this cluster is formed by two distinct branches. In 7 clusters (ESO057-SC075, HODGE7, NGC1852, NGC1917, NGC1987, NGC2108, and NGC2154) we observed an intrinsic broadening of the MSTO that may suggest that these clusters have experienced a prolonged period of star formation (150-250 Myr). The CMDs of IC2146, NGC1644, NGC1652, NGC1795 and NGC1978 show no evidence of spread or bimodality. In summary 70$\pm$25% of our sample are not consistent with the simple, single stellar population hypotesis.

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arXiv2008

MCAO near-IR photometry of the Globular Cluster NGC 6388: MAD observations in crowded fields

Deep photometry of crowded fields, such as Galactic Globular Clusters, is severely limited by the actual resolution of ground-based telescopes. On the other hand, the Hubble Space Telescope does not provide the near-infrared (NIR) filters needed to allow large color baselines. In this work we aim at demonstrating how ground based observations can reach the required resolution when using Multi-Conjugated Adaptive Optic (MCAO) devices in the NIR, such as the experimental infrared camera (MAD) available on the VLT. This is particularly important since these corrections are planned to be available on all ground--based telescopes in the near future. We do this by combining the infrared photometry obtained by MAD/VLT with ACS/HST optical photometry of our scientific target, the bulge globular cluster NGC 6388, in which we imaged two fields. In particular, we constructed color-magnitude diagrams with an extremely wide color baseline in order to investigate the presence of multiple stellar populations in this cluster. From the analysis of the external field, observed with better seeing conditions, we derived the deepest optical-NIR CMD of NGC 6388 to date. The high-precision photometry reveals that two distinct sub-giant branches are clearly present in this cluster. We also use the CMD from the central region to estimate the distance ((m-M)=15.33) and the reddening (E(B-V)=0.38) for this cluster. We estimate the age to be ~11.5+/- 1.5 Gyr. The large relative-age error reflects the bimodal distribution of the SGB stars. This study clearly demonstrates how MCAO correction in the NIR bands implemented on ground based telescopes can complement the high-resolution optical data from HST.

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arXiv2008

A search for spectroscopic binaries in the galactic globular cluster M4. Based on 5973 individual spectra collected at VLT

We present a large multi-epoch high resolution spectroscopic investigation for the search of binary candidates in the Galactic Globular Cluster (GGC) M4. The aim of our work is the identification of the binary candidates, and the determination of the binary fraction and of the binary radial distribution. We present a large multi-epoch high resolution spectroscopic investigation for the search of binary candidates in the Galactic Globular Cluster (GGC) M4. The aim of our work is the identification of the binary candidates, and the determination of the binary fraction and of the binary radial distribution. The average radial velocity of the observed cluster members is $70.29+/-0.07(+/-0.3)(+/-0.1)km/s. The search for variations in radial velocities among the stars with multi-epoch observations yielded 57 binary star candidates. Our radial velocity measurement accuracy allowed us to identify at a 3sigma level binaries with radial velocity variations larger than ~0.3km/s for the target stars with V<15, and larger than ~0.5km/s for the targets with V>15. We identified 4 binary star candidates out of 97 observed targets inside the core radius, and 53 candidates out of 2372 observed stars outside the core radius. Accounting for the incompleteness affecting our survey, the lower limit for the total binary fraction is f=3.0+/-0.3%. The lower limit for the binary fraction in the cluster core is f=5.1+/-2.3%, while outside the core it decreases to f=3.0+/-0.4%. Similarly, we found f=4.5+/-0.4% and f=1.8+/-0.6% for the binary fraction inside and outside the half mass radius.

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arXiv2008

Spectroscopic and Photometric evidence of two stellar populations in the Galactic Globular Cluster NGC6121 (M4)

AIMS. We present abundance analysis based on high resolution spectra of 105 isolated red giant branch (RGB) stars in the Galactic Globular Cluster NGC 6121 (M4). Our aim is to study its star population in the context of the multi-population phenomenon recently discovered to affect some Globular Clusters. METHODS. The data have been collected with FLAMES+UVES, at the ESO/VLT@UT2 telescope. Analysis was performed under LTE approximation for the following elements: O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Ba, and NLTE corrections were applied to Na and Mg. Spectroscopic data were coupled with high-precision wide-field UBVI$_{\rm C}$ photometry from WFI@2.2m telescope and infrared JHK photometry from 2MASS. RESULTS: We derived an average $\rm {[Fe/H]}=-1.07\pm0.01$ (internal error), and an $α$ enhancement of $\rm {[α/Fe]}=+0.39\pm0.05$ dex (internal error). We confirm the presence of an extended Na-O anticorrelation, and find two distinct groups of stars with significantly different Na and O content. We find no evidence of a Mg-Al anticorrelation. By coupling our results with previous studies on the CN band strength, we find that the CN strong stars have higher Na and Al content and are more O depleted than the CN weak ones. The two groups of Na-rich, CN-strong and Na-poor, CN-weak stars populate two different regions along the RGB. In the $\rm {U}$ vs. $\rm {U-B}$ color magnitude diagram the RGB spread is present rom the base of the RGB to the RGB-tip. Apparently, both spectroscopic and photometric results imply the presence of two stellar populations in M4. We briefly discuss the possible origin of these populations.

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arXiv2008

True solar analogues in the open cluster M67

The solar analogues are fundamental targets for a better understanding of our Sun and Solar System. Notwithstanding the efforts, this research is usually limited to field stars. The open cluster M67 offers a unique opportunity to search for solar analogues because its chemical composition and age are very similar to those of our star. In this work, we analyze FLAMES@VLT spectra of about one hundred of M67 main sequence stars with the aim to identify solar analogues. We first determine cluster members which are likely not binaries, by combining both proper motions and radial velocity measurements. Then, we concentrate our analysis on the determination of stellar effective temperature, using the analyzes of line-depth ratios and Halpha wings. Finally, we also compute lithium abundance for all the stars. Thanks to the our analysis, we find ten solar analogues, which allow us to derive a solar color (B-V)=0.649+/-0.016 and a cluster distance modulus of 9.63+/-0.08, very close to values found by previous authors. Among them, five are the best solar twins with temperature determinations within 60 K from the solar values. Our results lead us to do further spectroscopic investigations because the solar analogues candidates are suitable for planet search.

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arXiv2008

Ground-based CCD astrometry with wide field imagers. II. A star catalogue for M67: WFI@2.2m MPG/ESO astrometry, FLAMES@VLT radial velocities

The solar-age open cluster M67 (C0847+120, NGC2682) is a touchstone in studies of the old Galactic disk. Despite its outstanding role, the census of cluster membership for M67 at fainter magnitudes and their properties are not well-established. Using the proprietary and archival ESO data, we have obtained astrometric, photometric, and radial velocities of stars in a 34'x 33' field centered on the old open cluster M67. The two-epoch archival observations separated by 4 years and acquired with the Wide Field Imager at the 2.2m MPG/ESO telescope have been reduced with our new astrometric techniques, as described in the first paper of this series. The same observations served to derive calibrated BVI photometry in M67. Radial velocities were measured using the archival and new spectroscopic data obtained at VLT. We have determined relative proper motions and membership probabilities for ~2,400 stars. The precision of proper motions for optimally exposed stars is ~2 mas/yr, gradually degrading down to ~5 mas/yr at V= 20. Our relatively precise proper motions at V>16 are first obtained in this magnitude range for M67. Radial velocities are measured for 211 stars in the same field. We also present a detailed comparison with recent theoretical isochrones from several independent groups. For M67 area we provide positions, calibrated BVI photometry, relative proper motions, membership probabilities, and radial velocities. We demonstrate that the ground-based CCD mosaic observations just a few years apart are producing proper motions, allowing a reliable membership determination. We produced a catalogue that is made electronically available to the astronomical community.

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