Browsing by Author "Contreras Ramos, R."
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- ItemCAPOS: The bulge Cluster APOgee Survey. I. Overview and initial ASPCAP results(2021) Geisler, D.; Villanova, S.; O'Connell, J. E.; Cohen, R. E.; Moni Bidin, C.; Fernández-Trincado, J. G.; Muñoz, C.; Minniti, D.; Zoccali, M.; Rojas-Arriagada, A.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Catelan, Márcio; Mauro, F.; Cortés, C.; Ferreira Lopes, C. E.; Arentsen, A.; Starkenburg, E.; Martin, N. F.; Tang, B.; Parisi, C.; Alonso-García, J.; Gran, F.; Cunha, K.; Smith, V.; Majewski, S. R.; Jönsson, H.; García-Hernández, D. A.; Horta, D.; Mészáros, S.; Monaco, L.; Monachesi, A.; Muñoz, R. R.; Brownstein, J.; Beers, T. C.; Lane, R. R.; Barbuy, B.; Sobeck, J.; Henao, L.; González-Díaz, D.; Miranda, R. E.; Reinarz, Y.; Santander, T. A.Context. Bulge globular clusters (BGCs) are exceptional tracers of the formation and chemodynamical evolution of this oldest Galactic component. However, until now, observational difficulties have prevented us from taking full advantage of these powerful Galactic archeological tools. Aims: CAPOS, the bulge Cluster APOgee Survey, addresses this key topic by observing a large number of BGCs, most of which have only been poorly studied previously. Even their most basic parameters, such as metallicity, [α/Fe], and radial velocity, are generally very uncertain. We aim to obtain accurate mean values for these parameters, as well as abundances for a number of other elements, and explore multiple populations. In this first paper, we describe the CAPOS project and present initial results for seven BGCs. Methods: CAPOS uses the APOGEE-2S spectrograph observing in the H band to penetrate obscuring dust toward the bulge. For this initial paper, we use abundances derived from ASPCAP, the APOGEE pipeline. Results: We derive mean [Fe/H] values of −0.85 ± 0.04 (Terzan 2), −1.40 ± 0.05 (Terzan 4), −1.20 ± 0.10 (HP 1), −1.40 ± 0.07 (Terzan 9), −1.07 ± 0.09 (Djorg 2), −1.06 ± 0.06 (NGC 6540), and −1.11 ± 0.04 (NGC 6642) from three to ten stars per cluster. We determine mean abundances for eleven other elements plus the mean [α/Fe] and radial velocity. CAPOS clusters significantly increase the sample of well-studied Main Bulge globular clusters (GCs) and also extend them to lower metallicity. We reinforce the finding that Main Bulge and Main Disk GCs, formed in situ, have [Si/Fe] abundances slightly higher than their accreted counterparts at the same metallicity. We investigate multiple populations and find our clusters generally follow the light-element (anti)correlation trends of previous studies of GCs of similar metallicity. We finally explore the abundances of the iron-peak elements Mn and Ni and compare their trends with field populations. Conclusions: CAPOS is proving to be an unprecedented resource for greatly improving our knowledge of the formation and evolution of BGCs and the bulge itself....
- ItemInfrared photometry and CaT spectroscopy of globular cluster M 28 (NGC 6626)(2021) Moni Bidin, C.; Mauro, F.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Zoccali, M.; Reinarz, Y.; Moyano, M.; Gonzalez-Diaz, D.; Villanova, S.; Carraro, G.; Borissova, J.; Chene, A-N; Cohen, R. E.; Geisler, D.; Kurtev, R.; Minniti, D.Context. Recent studies show that the inner Galactic regions host genuine bulge globular clusters, but also halo intruders, complex remnants of primordial building blocks, and objects likely accreted during major merging events.Aims. In this study we focus on the properties of M 28, a very old and massive cluster currently located in the Galactic bulge.Methods. We analysed wide-field infrared photometry collected by the VVV survey, VVV proper motions, and intermediate-resolution spectra in the calcium triplet range for 113 targets in the cluster area.Results. Our results in general confirm previous estimates of the cluster properties available in the literature. We find no evidence of differences in metallicity between cluster stars, setting an upper limit of
- ItemRR Lyrae stars in omega Centauri: Near-IR properties and period-luminosity relations(2016) Navarrete, C.; Catelan , Marcio; Contreras Ramos, R.; Gran, F.; Alonso-Garcia, J.Omega Centauri contains a rich harvest of variable stars. Here we report on a deep, wide-field, near-infrared (IR) variability survey for this cluster, carried out using ESO's 4.1m VISTA telescope. Our time-series data includes more than 180 RR Lyrae light curves in both J and Ks, allowing us to derive an unprecedented homogeneous and complete near-IR catalog of RR Lyrae in the field of omega Cen. Near-IR period-luminosity relations are derived and used to determine an updated (pulsational) distance modulus for the cluster....
- ItemSpectroscopic analysis of VVV CL001 cluster with MUSE(2022) Olivares Carvajal, J.; Zoccali, M.; Rojas-Arriagada, A.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Gran, F.; Valenti, E.; Minniti, J. H.Like most spiral galaxies, the Milky Way contains a population of blue, metal-poor globular clusters and another of red, metal-rich ones. Most of the latter belong to the bulge, and therefore they are poorly studied compared to the blue (halo) ones because they suffer higher extinction and larger contamination from field stars. These intrinsic difficulties, together with a lack of low-mass bulge globular clusters, are reasons to believe that their census is not complete yet. Indeed, a few new clusters have been confirmed in the last few years. One of them is VVV CL001, the subject of the present study. We present a new spectroscopic analysis of the recently confirmed globular cluster VVV CL001, made by means of MUSE@VLT integral field data. Individual spectra were extracted for stars in the VVV CL001 field. Radial velocities were derived by cross-correlation with synthetic templates. Coupled with proper motions from the VVV (VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea) survey, these data allow us to select 55 potential cluster members, for which we derive metallicities using the public code The Cannon. The mean radial velocity of the cluster is V-helio = -324.9 +/- 0.8 km s(-1), as estimated from 55 cluster members. This high velocity, together with a low metallicity [Fe/H] = -2.04 +/- 0.02 dex, suggests that VVV CL001 could be a very old cluster. The estimated distance is d = 8.23 +/- 0.46 kpc, placing the cluster in the Galactic bulge. Furthermore, both its current position and the orbital parameters suggest that VVV CL001 is most probably a bulge globular cluster.
- ItemThe VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea extended (VVVX) ESO public survey: Completion of the observations and legacy(2024) Saito, R. K.; Hempel, M.; Alonso-Garcia, J.; Lucas, P. W.; Minniti, D.; Alonso, S.; Baravalle, L.; Borissova, J.; Caceres, C.; Chene, A. N.; Cross, N. J. G.; Duplancic, F.; Garro, E. R.; Gomez, M.; Ivanov, V. D.; Kurtev, R.; Luna, A.; Majaess, D.; Navarro, M. G.; Pullen, J. B.; Rejkuba, M.; Sanders, J. L.; Smith, L. C.; Albino, P. H. C.; Alonso, M. V.; Amores, E. B.; Angeloni, R.; Arias, J. I.; Arnaboldi, M.; Barbuy, B.; Bayo, A.; Beamin, J. C.; Bedin, L. R.; Bellini, A.; Benjamin, R. A.; Bica, E.; Bonatto, C. J.; Botan, E.; Braga, V. F.; Brown, D. A.; Cabral, J. B.; Camargo, D.; Garatti, Caratti O. A.; Carballo-Bello, J. A.; Catelan, M.; Chavero, C.; Chijani, M. A.; Claria, J. J.; Coldwell, G. V.; Pena, C. Contreras; Contreras Ramos, R.; Corral-Santana, J. M.; Cortes, C. C.; Cortes-Contreras, M.; Cruz, P.; Daza-Perilla, I. V.; Debattista, V. P.; Dias, B.; Donoso, L.; D'Souza, R.; Emerson, J. P.; Federle, S.; Fermiano, V.; Fernandez, J.; Fernandez-Trincado, J. G.; Ferreira, T.; Ferreira Lopes, C. E.; Firpo, V.; Flores-Quintana, C.; Fraga, L.; Froebrich, D.; Galdeano, D.; Gavignaud, I.; Geisler, D.; Gerhard, O. E.; Gieren, W.; Gonzalez, O. A.; Gramajo, L. V.; Gran, F.; Granitto, P. M.; Griggio, M.; Guo, Z.; Gurovich, S.; Hilker, M.; Jones, H. R. A.; Kammers, R.; Kuhn, M. A.; Kumar, M. S. N.; Kundu, R.; Lares, M.; Libralato, M.; Lima, E.; Maccarone, T. J.; Marchant Cortes, P.; Martin, E. L.; Masetti, N.; Matsunaga, N.; Mauro, F.; McDonald, I.; Mejias, A.; Mesa, V.; Milla-Castro, F. P.; Minniti, J. H.; Moni Bidin, C.; Montenegro, K.; Morris, C.; Motta, V.; Navarete, F.; Navarro Molina, C.; Nikzat, F.; Nilo Castellon, J. L.; Obasi, C.; Ortigoza-Urdaneta, M.; Palma, T.; Parisi, C.; Pena Ramirez, K.; Pereyra, L.; Perez, N.; Petralia, I.; Pichel, A.; Pignata, G.; Ramirez Alegria, S.; Rojas, A. F.; Rojas, D.; Roman-Lopes, A.; Rovero, A. C.; Saroon, S.; Schmidt, E. O.; Schroeder, A. C.; Schultheis, M.; Sgro, M. A.; Solano, E.; Soto, M.; Stecklum, B.; Steeghs, D.; Tamura, M.; Tissera, P.; Valcarce, A. A. R.; Valotto, C. A.; Vasquez, S.; Villalon, C.; Villanova, S.; Vivanco Cadiz, F.; Zelada Bacigalupo, R.; Zijlstra, A.; Zoccali, M.Context. The ESO public survey VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) surveyed the inner Galactic bulge and the adjacent southern Galactic disk from 2009-2015. Upon its conclusion, the complementary VVV extended (VVVX) survey has expanded both the temporal as well as spatial coverage of the original VVV area, widening it from 562 to 1700 sq. deg., as well as providing additional epochs in JHKs filters from 2016-2023.
- ItemThe VVV survey: Long-period variable stars. I. Photometric catalog of ten VVV/OGLE tiles(2022) Nikzat, F.; Ferreira Lopes, C. E.; Catelan, Marcio; Contreras Ramos, R.; Zoccali, M.; Rojas-Arriagada, A.; Braga, V. F.; Minniti, D.; Borissova, J.; Becker, I.Context. Long-period variable stars (LPVs) are pulsating red giants, primarily in the asymptotic giant branch phase, and they include both Miras and semi-regular variables (SRVs). Their period-age and period-luminosity relations enable us to trace different stellar populations, as they are intrinsically very bright and cover a wide range in distances and ages. Aims: The purpose of this study is to establish a census of LPV stars in a region close to the Galactic center, using the six-year database of the Vista Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) ESO Public Survey, as well as to describe the methodology that was employed to search for and characterize LPVs using VVV data. Near-IR surveys such as VVV provide a unique opportunity to probe the high-extinction innermost regions of the Milky Way. The detection and analysis of the intrinsically bright Miras in this region could provide us with an excellent probe of the properties of the Milky Way far behind its bulge. Methods: We used point-spread function photometry for all available Ks-band images in ten VVV tiles, covering 16.4 deg2 in total, overlapping fields observed in the course of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE)-III survey. We designed a method to select LPV candidates, and we used the known variables from OGLE-III and other known variables from the literature to test our approach. The reduced χ2 statistic, along with the flux-independent index K(fi), were used in our analysis. The Lomb-Scargle period search method, Fourier analysis, template fitting, and visual inspection were then performed to refine our sample and characterize the properties of the stars included in our catalog. Results: A final sample of 130 Mira candidates, of which 129 are new discoveries, was thus obtained, with periods in the range between about 80 and 1400 days. Moreover, a sample of 1013 LPV candidates is also presented, whose periods are however not sufficiently constrained by the available data. A fraction of the latter may eventually turn out to be SRVs. Ages are measured for these stars based on a reassessment of the period-age relations available in the literature. The Miras in our catalog include 18 stars satisfying the requirements to serve as reliable distance indicators and which are not saturated in the VVV Ks-band images. Their distances are accordingly derived and discussed. A number of objects that are seemingly placed far behind the Milky Way's bulge was detected. Fulll Tables A.1 and B.2 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/660/A35...
- ItemThe VVV Templates Project(2014) Contreras Ramos, R.; Catelan, Marcio; Gran, F.; Navarrete, C.; Angeloni, R.; Alonso-García, J.; Dékány, I.; Hajdu, G.; Hempel, M.; Jordán, A.; Townsend, B.; Borissova, J.; Navarro, C.; Pichara, K.; Eyheramendy, S.Until now, stellar variability in the near-IR has been a relatively ill-explored research field. In particular, the number of high-quality light curves is very limited and, even worse, many variability classes have not yet been observed in a sufficiently extensive way in the near-IR, so that good light curves are entirely lacking for some such classes. Since VVV is the first ever large survey dedicated to stellar variability in the near-infrared, the first problem we had to face has thus been the construction of a proper statistically significant database of high-quality (i.e., template) near-IR light curves for a significant sample of stars taken to be representative of the different variability classes under study. The main purpose of the VVV Templates Project is thus to build a large database of well-defined, high-quality, near-IR light curves for variable stars of different types, which will form the basis of the VVV automated classification algorithms...
- ItemunVEil the darknesS of The gAlactic buLgE (VESTALE)(2018) Bono, G.; Dall'Ora, M.; Fabrizio, M.; Crestani, J.; Braga, V. F.; Fiorentino, G.; Altavilla, G.; Botticella, M. T.; Calamida, A.; Castellani, M.; Catelan, Marcio; Chaboyer, B.; Chiappini, C.; Clarkson, W.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Creevey, O.; da Silva, R.; Debattista, V.; Degl'Innocenti, S.; Ferraro, I.; Gilligan, C. K.; Gonzalez, O.; Hambleton, K.; Iannicola, G.; Inno, L.; Kunder, A.; Lemasle, B.; Magrini, L.; Magurno, D.; Marconi, M.; Marengo, M.; Marinoni, S.; Marrese, P. M.; Martinez-Vazquez, C. E.; Matsunaga, N.; Monelli, M.; Prada Moroni, P. G.; Musella, I.; Navarro, M. G.; Neeley, J.; Nonino, M.; Pietrinferni, A.; Pulone, L.; Rich, M. R.; Ripepi, V.; Sacco, G.; Saha, A.; Salaris, M.; Sneden, C.; Stetson, P. B.; Street, R. A; Szabo, R.; Tantalo, M.; Tognelli, E.; Torelli, M.; Valenti, E.; Walker, A. R.; Zoccali, M.The main aim of this experiment is to provide a complete census of old (t > 10 Gyr, RR Lyrae, type II Cepheids, red horizontal branch), intermediate age (red clump, Miras) and young (classical Cepheids) stellar tracers across the Galactic Bulge. To fully exploit the unique photometric quality of LSST images, we plan to perform a Shallow minisurvey (ugrizy, -20 < l < 20 deg, -15 < b < 10 deg) and a Deep minisurvey (izy, -20 < l < 20 deg, -3 < b < 3 deg). The former one is aimed at constraining the 3D structure of the galactic Bulge across the four quadrants, and in particular, the transition between inner and outer Bulge. The u,g,r,i,z,y LSST bands provide fundamental diagnostics to constrain the evolutionary properties of low and intermediate-mass stars when moving from a metal-poor to a metal-rich regime. The deep minisurvey is aimed at tracing RR Lyrae, Red Clump stars, Miras and classical Cepheids in highly reddened regions of the Galactic center. These images will allow us to investigate the role that baryonic mass and dark matter played in the early formation and evolution of the MW....
- ItemUnveiling the structural content of NGC 6357 via kinematics and NIR variability(2024) Ordenes-Huanca, C.; Zoccali, M.; Bayo, A.; Cuadra, J.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Rojas-Arriagada, A.NGC 6357, a star-forming complex at similar to 1.7 kpc from the Sun, contains giant molecular clouds and three prominent star clusters alongside with HII regions, very massive stars and thousands of young stellar objects in different evolutionary stages. We present a combined infrared kinematic and time domain study of the line of sight towards this region enabled by the VVVX survey. In terms of kinematics, a novel discovery emerges: an asymmetrical distribution in the vector point diagram. Some stars in the sample exhibit spatial proximity to dusty regions, with their proper motions aligned with filament projections, hinting at a younger population linked to triggered star formation. However, this distribution could also stem from an asymmetric stellar expansion event within NGC 6357, warranting further investigation. Comparing this data with Gaia revealed inconsistencies likely due to high extinction levels in the region. Additionally, owing to accretion episodes and surface cool spots, young stars display high variability. Using the K-s-band time series data, we overcome the extreme levels of extinction towards the region, and compile a catalogue of 774 infrared light curves of young stars. Each light curve has been characterized in terms of asymmetry and periodicity, to infer the dominant underlying physical mechanism. These findings are then correlated with evolutionary stages, aiming to uncover potential age disparities among the observed stars. This study contributes to our understanding the intricate dynamics and evolutionary processes within NGC 6357, offering valuable insights into the formation and development of stellar populations within such complex environments
- ItemVariability Survey of ω Centauri in the Near-IR: Period-Luminosity Relations(2017) Navarrete, C.; Catelan, Marcio; Contreras Ramos, R.; Gran, F.; Alonso-García, J.; Dékány, I.ω Centauri is by far the most massive globular star cluster in the Milky Way, and possibly the remnant of a dwarf galaxy. As such, it contains a large number of variable stars of different classes. Here we report on an extensive, wide-field time-series study of ω Cen in the J and K S bands, which has allowed us to study the near-IR period-luminosity relations for different variability classes, including the first such relations for the SX Phoenicis stars.
- ItemVVV catalog of ab-type RR Lyrae in the inner Galactic bulge(2024) Zoccali, Manuela; Quezada, C.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Valenti, E.; Valenzuela-Navarro, A.; Olivares Carvajal, J.; Rojas Arriagada, A.; Minniti, J.H.; Gran, F.; De Leo, M.Context. Observational evidence has accumulated in recent years, showing that the Galactic bulge includes two populations, a metal-poor one and a metal-rich one, which in addition to having different metallicities show different alpha over iron abundances, spatial distribution, and kinematics. While the metal-rich, barred component has been fairly well characterized, the metal-poor, spheroidal component has been more elusive and harder to describe. RR Lyrae variables are clean tracers of the old bulge component, and they are, on average, more metal-poor than red clump stars. Aims. In the present paper, we provide a new catalog of 16488 ab-type RR Lyrae variables in the bulge region within |l|≲10° and |b|≲2.8°, extracted from multi-epoch Point Spread Function photometry performed on VISTA Variable in the Vía Láctea survey data. We used the catalog to constrain the shape of the old, metal-poor, bulge stellar population. Methods. The identification of ab-type RR Lyrae among a large sample of candidate variables of different types has been performed via a combination of a Random Forest classifier and visual inspection. We optimized this process in such a way to extract a clean catalog with high purity, although for this reason its completeness, close to the midplane, is lower compared to a few other near-infrared catalogs covering the same region of the sky. Results. We used the present catalog to derive the shape of their distribution around the Galactic center, resulting in an elongated spheroid with projected axis ratio of b/a∼0.7 and an inclination angle of φ∼20 degrees. We discuss how observational biases, such as errors on the distances and a nonuniform sampling in longitude, affect both the present measurements and previous ones, especially those based on red clump stars. Because the latter have not been taken into account before, we refrain from a quantitative comparison between these shape parameters and those derived for the main Galactic bar. Nonetheless, qualitatively, taking into account observational biases would lower the estimated ellipticity of the bar derived from red clump stars, and hence reduce the difference with the present results. Conclusions. We publish a high-purity RRab sample for future studies of the oldest Galactic bulge population, close to the midplane. We explore different choices for the period-luminosity-metallicity relation, highlighting how some of them introduce spurious trends of distance with either the period or the metallicity, or both. We provide evidence that they trace a structure that is less elongated than the main bar, though we also highlight some biases of these kind of studies not discussed before.