Browsing by Author "Ivanov, Valentin"

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    MOONS - Multi Object spectroscopy for the VLT: overview and instrument integration update
    (2022) Gonzalez, Oscar A.; Cirasuolo, Michele; Taylor, William; Black, Martin; Rees, Phil; Bryson, Ian; Chittick, Stephen; Afonso, Jose; Lilly, Simon; Flores, Hector; Maiolino, Roberto; Oliva, Ernesto; Paltani, Stephane; Vanzi, Leonardo; Abreu, Manuel; Amans, Jean-Philippe; Atkinson, David; Beard, Steven; Belfiore, Andrea; Breen, Ciaran; Bayo, Amelia; Born, Andy; Cabral, Alexandre; Chapman, Lee; Cochrane, William; Coelho, Joao; Colling, Miriam; Conzelmann, Ralf; Dalessio, Francesco; Davidson, George; Delplancke-Stroebele, Francoise; Fisher, Martin; Forchi, Vincenzo; Franzetti, Paolo; Garilli, Bianca; Gargiulo, Adriana; Guinouard, Isabelle; Gutierrez, Pablo; Haigron, Regis; Hammersley, Peter; Ivanov, Valentin; Ives, Derek; Iwert, Olaf; King, David; Kovacz, Suzanne; Laporte, Philippe; Lee, David; Li Causi, Gianluca; Macleod, Alastair; Alvarez, Domingo; Oliveira, Antonio; Palsa, Ralf; Parra, Manuel; Pedichini, Fernando; Pena, Vicente; Petr-Gotzens, Monika; Rodrigues, Myriam; Royer, Frederic; Santo, Pedro; Sepulveda, Jorge; Sharman, Robyn; Shen, Tzu-Chiang; Sordet, Michael; Strachan, Jonathan; Tait, Graham; Tejeda, Alexis; Tozzi, Andrea; O'Malley, Norman; Waring, Chris; Watson, Stephen; Willemse, Bart; Gao Xiaofeng; Yang, Yanbin; Zoccali, Manuela
    The Multi Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph (MOONS) instrument is the next generation multi-object spectrograph for the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The instrument combines the high multiplexing capability offered by 1000 optical fibres deployed by individual robotic positioners with a novel spectrograph able to provide both low- and high-resolution spectroscopy simultaneously across the wavelength range 0.64 mu m - 1.8 mu m. Powered by the collecting area of the 8-m VLT, MOONS will provide the astronomical community with a world-leading facility able to serve a wide range of Galactic, Extragalactic and Cosmological studies. This paper provides an updated overview of the instrument and its construction progress, reporting on the ongoing integration phase.
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    PEERING THROUGH THE DUST: PRECISE ASTROMETRY IN THE GALACTIC MID-PLANE WITH THE VVV SURVEY
    (2015) Lucas, PW; Smart, RL; Jones, HRA; Kurtev, R; Beamin Muhlenbrock, Juan Carlos; Borissova, J.; Gromadzki, Grzegorz; Ivanov, Valentin; Minniti, Dante; Pinfield, DJ
    Gaia will see little of the Galactic mid-plane and nuclear bulge due to high extinction at optical wavelengths. To study the structure and kinematics of the inner Galaxy we must look to longer wavelengths. The Vista Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV, Minniti et al. 2010) survey currently provides just over 4 years of observations covering approximately 560 square degrees of the Galactic bulge and plane. Typically each source is observed 50-150 times in the Ks band over this period. Using these data we provide relative proper motions for approximately 200 million unique sources down to Ks similar to 16 with uncertainties approaching 1 mas yr(-1). In addition, we fit a solution of the parallactic motion of all sources with significant proper motion and discover a number of new nearby brown dwarfs. These results will allow us to identify faint common proper motion companions to stars with Gaia parallaxes, increasing the number of brown dwarf benchmark objects. Our absolute astrometric calibration precision is currently similar to 2 mas yr(-1), based on PPMXL. The Gaia absolute astrometric reference grid will allow us to precisely anchor our results and measure the streaming motions of stars in the bulge. Finally, we anticipate that the catalogue could provide kinematic distances to the numerous optically invisible high amplitude variable stars that VVV is discovering.
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    RGB Properties of the LMC/SMC Clusters in the Infrared
    (2009) Kurtev, Radostin; Ivanov, Valentin; Borissova, Jura; Catelan , Marcio; Geisler, Douglas
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    The most variable VVV sources: eruptive protostars, dipping giants in the Nuclear Disc and others
    (2023) Lucas, Phil; Smith, Leigh; Guo, Zhen; Contreras Peña, Carlos; Minniti, Dante; Miller, Niall; Alonso-Garcia, Javier; Catelan, Marcio; Borissova, J.; Saito, Roberto; Kurtev, Radostin; Navarro, M. G.; Morris, Calum; Muthu, Hariharan; Froebrich, Dirk; Ivanov, Valentin; Bayo, Amelia; Caratti, Alessio; Sanders, Jason
    We have performed a comprehensive search of a VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) data base of 9.5 yr light curves for variable sources with ΔKs ≥ 4 mag, aiming to provide a large sample of high amplitude eruptive young stellar objects (YSOs) and detect unusual or new types of infrared variable source. We find 222 variable or transient sources in the Galactic bulge and disc, most of which are new discoveries. The sample mainly comprises novae, YSOs, microlensing events, Long Period Variable stars (LPVs), and a few rare or unclassified sources. Additionally, we report the discovery of a significant population of aperiodic late-type giant stars suffering deep extinction events, strongly clustered in the Nuclear Disc of the Milky Way. We suggest that these are metal-rich stars in which radiatively driven mass loss has been enhanced by super-solar metallicity. Among the YSOs, 32/40 appear to be undergoing episodic accretion. Long-lasting YSO eruptions have a typical rise time of ∼2 yr, somewhat slower than the 6–12 month time-scale seen in the few historical events observed on the rise. The outburst durations are usually at least 5 yr, somewhat longer than many lower amplitude VVV events detected previously. The light curves are diverse in nature, suggesting that multiple types of disc instability may occur. Eight long-duration extinction events are seen wherein the YSO dims for a year or more, attributable to inner disc structure. One binary YSO in NGC 6530 displays periodic extinction events (P=59 d) similar to KH 15D.