New Galactic star clusters discovered in the VVV survey (original) (raw)
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Astrophysics Hundreds of new cluster candidates in the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea survey DR1
Context. VISTA variables in the Vía Láctea is an ESO Public survey dedicated to scanning the bulge and an adjacent portion of the Galactic disk in the fourth quadrant using the VISTA telescope and its near-infrared camera VIRCAM. One of the leading goals of the VVV survey is to contribute to knowledge of the star cluster population of the Milky Way. Aims. To improve the census of Galactic star clusters, we performed a systematic and careful scan of the JHK s images of the Galactic plane section of the VVV survey. Methods. Our detection procedure is based on a combination of stellar density maps and visual inspection of promising features in the J-, Hand nd K S-band images. The material examined are VVV JHK S color-composite images corresponding to Data Release 1 of VVV. Results. We report the discovery of 493 new infrared star cluster candidates. The analysis of the spatial distribution show that the clusters are very concentrated in the Galactic plane, presenting some local maxima around the position of large star-forming complexes, such as G305, RCW 95, and RCW 106. The vast majority of the new star cluster candidates are quite compact and generally surrounded by bright and/or dark nebulosities. IRAS point sources are associated with 59% of the sample, while 88% are associated with MSX point sources. GLIMPSE 8 μm images of the cluster candidates show a variety of morphologies, with 292 clusters dominated by knotty sources, while 361 clusters show some kind of nebulosity in this wavelength regime. Spatial cross-correlation with young stellar objects, masers, and extended green-object catalogs suggest that a large sample of the new cluster candidates are extremely young. In particular, 104 star clusters associated with methanol masers are excellent candidates for ongoing massive star formation. Also, there is a special set of sixteen cluster candidates that present clear signposts of star-forming activity having associated simultaneosly dark nebulae, young stellar objects, extended green objects, and masers.
Young Stellar Clusters Containing Massive Young Stellar Objects in the VVV Survey
The Astronomical Journal, 2016
The purpose of this research is to study the connections of the global properties of eight young stellar clusters projected in the Vista Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) ESO Large Public Survey disk area and their young stellar object (YSO) populations. The analysis is based on the combination of spectroscopic parallax-based reddening and distance determinations with main-sequence and pre-main-sequence ishochrone fitting to determine the basic parameters (reddening, age, distance) of the sample clusters. The lower mass limit estimations show that all clusters are low or intermediate mass (between 110 and 1800M e), the slope Γ of the obtained present-day mass functions of the clusters is close to the Kroupa initial mass function. The YSOs in the cluster's surrounding fields are classified using low resolution spectra, spectral energy distribution fits with theoretical predictions, and variability, taking advantage of multi-epoch VVV observations. All spectroscopically confirmed YSOs (except one) are found to be massive (more than 8 M e). Using VVV and GLIMPSE color-color cuts we have selected a large number of new YSO candidates, which are checked for variability and 57% are found to show at least lowamplitude variations. In few cases it was possible to distinguish between YSO and AGB classifications on the basis of light curves.
Massive open star clusters using the VVV survey
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2012
Context. The ESO Public Survey "VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea" (VVV) provides deep multi-epoch infrared observations for an unprecedented 562 sq. degrees of the Galactic bulge, and adjacent regions of the disk. In this survey nearly 150 new open clusters and cluster candidates have been discovered. Aims. This is the second in a series of papers about young, massive open clusters observed using the VVV survey. We present the first study of six recently discovered clusters. These clusters contain at least one newly discovered Wolf-Rayet (WR) star. Methods. Following the methodology presented in the first paper of the series, wide-field, deep JHK s VVV observations, combined with new infrared spectroscopy, are employed to constrain fundamental parameters for a subset of clusters. Results. We affirm that the six studied stellar groups are real young (2-7 Myr) and massive (between 0.8 and 2.2 10 3 M ⊙ ) clusters. They are highly obscured (A V ∼ 5 − 24 mag) and compact (1-2 pc). In addition to WR stars, two of the six clusters also contain at least one red supergiant star. We claim the discovery of 8 new WR stars, and 3 stars showing WR-like emission lines which could be classified WR or OIf. Preliminary analysis provides initial masses of ∼30-50 M ⊙ for the WR stars. Finally, we discuss the spiral structure of the Galaxy using as tracers the six new clusters together with the previously studied VVV clusters.
The First Galaxy Cluster Discovered by the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea Survey
The Astrophysical Journal, 2019
We report the first confirmed detection of the galaxy cluster VVV-J144321-611754 at very low latitudes (l = 315.836 • , b =-1.650 •) located in the tile d015 of the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) survey. We defined the region of 30× 30 arcmin 2 centered in the brightest galaxy finding 25 galaxies. For these objects, extinction-corrected median colors of (H-K s) = 0.34 ± 0.05 mag, (J-H) = 0.57 ± 0.08 mag and (J-K s) = 0.87 ± 0.06 mag, and R 1/2 = 1.59 ± 0.16 arcsec; C = 3.01 ± 0.08; and Sersic index, n = 4.63 ± 0.39 were estimated. They were visually confirmed showing characteristics of early-type galaxies in the near-IR images. An automatic clustering analysis performed in the whole tile found that the concentration of galaxies VVV-J144321-611754 is a real, compact concentration of early-type galaxies. Assuming a typical galaxy cluster with low X-ray luminosity, the photometric redshift of the brightest galaxy is z = 0.196 ± 0.025. Follow-up near-IR spectroscopy with FLAMINGOS-2 at the Gemini-South telescope revealed that the two brighter cluster galaxies have typical spectra of early-type galaxies and the estimated redshift for the brightest galaxy VVV-J144321.06-611753.9 is z = 0.234±0.022 and for VVV-J144319.02-611746.1 is z = 0.232±0.019. Finally, these galaxies clearly follow the cluster Red Sequence in the rest-frame near-IR color-magnitude diagram with the slope similar to galaxy cluster at redshift of 0.2. These results are consistent with the presence of a bona fide galaxy cluster beyond the Milky Way disk.
New variable stars discovered in the fields of three Galactic open clusters using the VVV survey
New Astronomy, 2016
This project is a massive near-infrared (NIR) search for variable stars in highly reddened and obscured open cluster (OC) fields projected on regions of the Galactic bulge and disk. The search is performed using photometric NIR data in the J-, Hand K s-bands obtained from the Vista Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) Survey. We performed in each cluster field a variability search using Stetson's variability statistics to select the variable candidates. Later, those candidates were subjected to a frequency analysis using the Generalized Lomb-Scargle and the Phase Dispersion Minimization algorithms. The number of independent observations range between 63 and 73. The newly discovered variables in this study,
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2015
Context. The ESO public survey VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) has contributed with deep multi-epoch photometry of the Galactic bulge and the adjacent part of the disk over 526 sq. deg. More than a hundred cluster candidates have been reported thanks to this survey. Aims. We present the fifth article in a series of papers focused on young and massive clusters discovered in the VVV survey. In this paper, we present the physical characterization of five clusters with a spectroscopically confirmed OB-type stellar population. Methods. To characterize the clusters, we used near-infrared photometry (J, H, and K S) from the VVV survey and near-infrared K-band spectroscopy from ISAAC at VLT, following the methodology presented in the previous articles of the series. Results. All clusters in our sample are very young (ages between 1-20 Myr), and their total mass are between (1.07 +0.40 −0.30) × 10 2 M and (4.17 +4.15 −2.08) × 10 3 M. We observed a relation between the clusters total mass M ecl and the mass of their most massive stellar member m max , for clusters with an age <10 Myr.
New VVV Survey Globular Cluster Candidates in the Milky Way Bulge
The Astrophysical Journal
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 Vía 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 colormagnitude 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.
Context. The ESO public survey VISTA variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) started in 2010. VVV targets 562 sq. deg in the Galactic bulge and an adjacent plane region and is expected to run for about five years. Aims: We describe the progress of the survey observations in the first observing season, the observing strategy, and quality of the data obtained. Methods: The observations are carried out on the 4-m VISTA telescope in the ZYJHKs filters. In addition to the multi-band imaging the variability monitoring campaign in the Ks filter has started. Data reduction is carried out using the pipeline at the Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit. The photometric and astrometric calibration is performed via the numerous 2MASS sources observed in each pointing. Results: The first data release contains the aperture photometry and astrometric catalogues for 348 individual pointings in the ZYJHKs filters taken in the 2010 observing season. The typical image quality is 0.9 arcsec {-1.0 arcsec}. The stringent photometric and image quality requirements of the survey are satisfied in 100% of the JHKs images in the disk area and 90% of the JHKs images in the bulge area. The completeness in the Z and Y images is 84% in the disk, and 40% in the bulge. The first season catalogues contain 1.28 × 108 stellar sources in the bulge and 1.68 × 108 in the disk area detected in at least one of the photometric bands. The combined, multi-band catalogues contain more than 1.63 × 108 stellar sources. About 10% of these are double detections because of overlapping adjacent pointings. These overlapping multiple detections are used to characterise the quality of the data. The images in the JHKs bands extend typically 4 mag deeper than 2MASS. The magnitude limit and photometric quality depend strongly on crowding in the inner Galactic regions. The astrometry for Ks = 15-18 mag has rms 35-175 mas. Conclusions: The VVV Survey data products offer a unique dataset to map the stellar populations in the Galactic bulge and the adjacent plane and provide an exciting new tool for the study of the structure, content, and star-formation history of our Galaxy, as well as for investigations of the newly discovered star clusters, star-forming regions in the disk, high proper motion stars, asteroids, planetary nebulae, and other interesting objects. Based on observations taken within the ESO VISTA Public Survey VVV, Programme ID 179.B-2002.
Mining the VVV: star formation and embedded clusters
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2014
Aims. We aim to locate previously unknown stellar clusters using the VISTA variables in the Vía Láctea Survey (VVV) catalogue data. Methods. The method fits a mixture model of Gaussian densities and background noise and uses the expectation maximization algorithm to pre-filtered near-infrared survey stellar catalogue data; it was developed by the authors for the UKIDSS Galactic Plane Survey (GPS). Results. The search located 88 previously unknown candidates, most of which are embedded stellar cluster candidates, and 39 previously unknown sites of star formation in the 562 deg 2 covered by VVV in the Galactic bulge and the southern disk.
Hundreds of new cluster candidates in the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea survey DR1
VISTA variables in the Vía Láctea is an ESO Public survey dedicated to scanning the bulge and an adjacent portion of the Galactic disk in the fourth quadrant using the VISTA telescope and its near-infrared camera VIRCAM. One of the leading goals of the VVV survey is to contribute to knowledge of the star cluster population of the Milky Way. In order to improve the census of Galactic star clusters, we performed a systematic and careful scan of the JHKs images of the Galactic plane section of the VVV survey. Our detection procedure is based on a combination of stellar density maps and visual inspection of promising features in the J-, H-, and KS-band images. The material examined are VVV JHKS color-composite images corresponding to Data Release 1 of VVV. We report the discovery of 493 new infrared star cluster candidates. The analysis of the spatial distribution show that the clusters are very concentrated in the Galactic plane, presenting some local maxima around the position of large star-forming complexes, such as G305, RCW 95, and RCW 106. The vast majority of the new star cluster candidates are quite compact and generally surrounded by bright and/or dark nebulosities. IRAS point sources are associated with 59% of the sample, while 88% are associated with MSX point sources. GLIMPSE 8 μm images of the cluster candidates show a variety of morphologies, with 292 clusters dominated by knotty sources, while 361 clusters show some kind of nebulosity in this wavelength regime. Spatial crosscorrelation with young stellar objects, masers, and extended green-object catalogs suggest that a large sample of the new cluster candidates are extremely young. In particular, 104 star clusters associated with methanol masers are excellent candidates for ongoing massive star formation. Also, there is a special set of sixteen cluster candidates that present clear signposts of star-forming activity having associated simultaneously dark nebulae, young stellar objects, extended green objects, and masers.