Browsing by Author "Minniti, J. H."

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    New type II Cepheids from VVV data towards the Galactic center
    (2019) Braga, V. F.; Contreras Ramos, Rodrigo; Minniti, D.; Ferreira Lopes, C. E.; Catelan, Márcio; 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. Full Tables 2 and 3 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/625/A151....
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    Spectroscopic 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.
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    The 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.
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    Using classical Cepheids to study the far side of the Milky Way disk II. The spiral structure in the first and fourth Galactic quadrants
    (2021) Minniti, J. H.; Zoccali, M.; Rojas-Arriagada, A.; Minniti, D.; Sbordone, L.; Ramos, R. Contreras; Braga, V. F.; Catelan, M.; Duffau, S.; Gieren, W.; Marconi, M.; Valcarce, A. A. R.
    In an effort to improve our understanding of the spiral arm structure of the Milky Way, we use classical Cepheids (CCs) to increase the number of young tracers on the far side of the Galactic disk with accurately determined distances. We used a sample of 30 CCs that were discovered using near-infrared photometry from the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea survey (VVV) and classified based on their radial velocities and metallicities. We combined them with another 20 CCs from the literature for which VVV photometry is available. We used the compiled sample of CCs with homogeneously computed distances based on VVV infrared photometry as a proof of concept to trace the spiral structure in the poorly explored far side of the disk. Although the use of CCs has some caveats, these variables are currently the only available young tracers on the far side of the disk for which a numerous sample with accurate distances can be obtained. Therefore, a larger sample could allow us to make a significant step forward in our understanding of the Milky Way disk as a whole. We present preliminary evidence that CCs favor the following: a spiral arm model with two main arms (Perseus and Scutum-Centaurus) that branch out into four arms at Galactocentric distances, R-GC >= 5-6 kpc; the extension of the Scutum-Centaurus arm behind the Galactic center; and a possible connection between the Perseus arm and the Norma tangency direction. The current sample of CCs on the far side of the Galaxy are in the mid-plane, which argues against the presence of a severely warped disk at small Galactocentric distances (R-GC <= 12 kpc) in the studied area. The discovery and characterization of CCs at near-infrared wavelengths appears to be a promising tool to complement studies based on other spiral arm tracers and extend them to the far side of our Galaxy.