We report results from an exploratory study implementing a new probe of Galactic evolution using archival Hubble Space Telescope imaging observations. Precise proper motions are combined with photometric relative metallicity and temperature indices, to produce the proper-motion rotation curves of...
Deep near-IR images from the VISTA Variables in the V a L ctea (VVV) Survey were used to search for RR Lyrae stars within 100 arcmin from the Galactic Center. A large sample of 960 RR Lyrae of type ab (RRab) stars were discovered. A catalog is presented featuring the positions, magnitudes, colors...
Contreras Ramos, R.
,
Minniti, D.
,
Gran, F.
,
Zoccali, M.
,
Alonso-Garcia, J.
,
Huijse, P.
,
Navarro, M.G.
,
Rojas-Arriagada, A.
,
Valenti, E.
,
[The VVV Survey RR Lyrae Population in the Galactic Center Region]
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The VVV Survey RR Lyrae Population in the Galactic Center Region
The Hubble Space Telescope/WFC3 multiband photometry spanning from the UV to the near-IR of four fields in the Galactic bulge, together with that for six template globular and open clusters, are used to photometrically tag the metallicity [Fe/H] of stars in these fields after proper-motion reject...
Renzini, A.
,
Gennaro, M.
,
Zoccali, M.
,
Brown, T.M.
,
Anderson, J.
,
Minniti, D.
,
Sahu, K.C.
,
Valenti, E.
,
Vandenberg, D.A.
,
[The WFC3 Galactic Bulge Treasury Program: Relative Ages of Bulge Stars of High and Low Metallicity]
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The WFC3 Galactic Bulge Treasury Program: Relative Ages of Bulge Stars of High and Low Metallicity
Context. In the last six years, the VISTA Variable in the Vía Láctea (VVV) survey mapped 562 sq. deg. across the bulge and southern disk of the Galaxy. However, a detailed study of these regions, which includes ∼36 globular clusters (GCs) and thousands of open clusters is by no means an easy chal...
Contreras Ramos, R.
,
Zoccali, M.
,
Rojas, F.
,
Rojas-Arriagada, A.
,
Gárate, M.
,
Huijse, P.
,
Gran, F.
,
Soto, M.
,
Valcarce, A.A.R.
,
Estévez, P.A.
,
Minniti, D.
,
[Proper motions in the VVV Survey: Results for more than 15 million stars across NGC 6544]
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Proper motions in the VVV Survey: Results for more than 15 million stars across NGC 6544
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 dee...
Minniti, D.
,
Geisler, D.
,
Alonso-Garcia, J.
,
Palma, T.
,
Beamin, J.C.
,
Borissova, J.
,
Catelan, M.
,
Clariá, J.J.
,
Cohen, R.E.
,
Ramos, R.C.
,
Dias, B.
,
Fernández-Trincado, J.G.
,
Gómez, M.
,
Hempel, M.
,
Ivanov, V.D.
,
Kurtev, R.
,
Lucas, P.W.
,
Moni-Bidin, C.
,
Pullen, J.
,
Alegria, S.R.
,
Saito, R.K.
,
Valenti, E.
,
[New VVV Survey Globular Cluster Candidates in the Milky Way Bulge]
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New VVV Survey Globular Cluster Candidates in the Milky Way Bulge
We report the first estimate of the He abundance of the population of RR Lyrae stars in the Galactic bulge. This is done by comparing the recent observational data with the latest models. We use the large samples of ab-type RR Lyrae stars found by OGLE IV in the inner bulge and by the VVV survey ...
Marconi, M.
,
Minniti, D.
,
[Gauging the Helium Abundance of the Galactic Bulge RR Lyrae Stars]
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Gauging the Helium Abundance of the Galactic Bulge RR Lyrae Stars
We search for microlensing events in the highly reddened areas surrounding the Galactic center using the near-IR observations with the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea Survey (VVV). We report the discovery of 182 new microlensing events, based on observations acquired between 2010 and 2015. We p...
Navarro, M.G.
,
Minniti, D.
,
Ramos, R.C.
,
[VVV Survey Microlensing Events in the Galactic Center Region]
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VVV Survey Microlensing Events in the Galactic Center Region
Context. Our view of the structure of the Milky Way and, in particular, its bulge is obscured by the intervening stars, dust, and gas in the disc. While great progress in understanding the bulge has been achieved with past and ongoing observations, the comparison of its global chemodynamical prop...
Gonzalez, O.A.
,
Gadotti, D.A.
,
Debattista, V.P.
,
Rejkuba, M.de
,
Valenti, E.
,
Zoccali, M.
,
Coccato, L.
,
Minniti, D.
,
Ness, M.
,
[Comparing the properties of the X-shaped bulges of NGC 4710 and the Milky Way with MUSE]
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Comparing the properties of the X-shaped bulges of NGC 4710 and the Milky Way with MUSE
Context. The VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) is a near-IR time-domain survey of the Galactic bulge and southern plane. One of the main goals of this survey is to reveal the 3D structure of the Milky Way through their variable stars. In particular, enormous numbers of RR Lyrae stars have b...
Gran, F.
,
Minniti, D.
,
Saito, R. K.
,
Zoccali, M.
,
Gonzalez, O. A.
,
Navarrete, C.
,
Catelan, M.
,
Contreras Ramos, R.
,
Elorrieta, F.
,
Eyheramendy, S.
,
Jordán, A.
,
[Mapping the outer bulge with RRab stars from the VVV Survey]
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Mapping the outer bulge with RRab stars from the VVV Survey
We present the first stellar density profile of the Milky Way bulge that reaches latitude b = 0 degrees. The profile was derived by counting red clump stars within the colour-magnitude diagram that was constructed using the new PSF-fitting photometry from VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) s...
Valenti, E.
,
Zoccali, M.
,
Gonzalez, O. A.
,
Minniti, D.
,
Alonso-García, J.
,
Marchetti, E.
,
Hempel, M.
,
Renzini, A.
,
Rejkuba, M.
,
[Stellar density profile and mass of the Milky Way bulge from VVV data]
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Stellar density profile and mass of the Milky Way bulge from VVV data