Participants are encouraged to submit their science cases. These can be in the form of a summary of project goals, or in conceptual steps. For example, 'search for objects of a particular type, or in particuar catalogues or archives, cross match particular catalogues, search for spectroscopy, search for theoretical models...'. We hope to help you identify where VO tools can help with your projects, and to define small projects that may be developed witin the workgroups during the 'Projects' sessions of the school.

A few examples from previous schools are linked at the bottom of this page.

Please use the following template, and feel free to create additional wiki pages if needed.

Project 1.

Participant Name: Natasza Siodmiak

Project description: We have built The Torun catalogue of Galactic post-AGB and related objects and its development is still going on.
In this project I suggest to:

• cross-correlate UKIDDs and SDSS databases with Torun catalogue to find optical and infrared photometric data,
• cross-correlate HST archive with Torun catalogue to find optical and infrared images of post-AGB objects,
• find other images of post-AGBs,
• find all available spectra (UV, optical, infrared, etc.) to create SEDs for post-AGBs.

Project 2.

Participant Name: ZengHua Zhang

Project description: Identify T dwarfs in wide separated binary systems with UKIDSS and SDSS.

In this project I suggest to:

1. Cross match all UKIDSS LAS sources that have at least a Y + J detection (J<19) with SDSS.
2. Identify SDSS non detections.
3. Identify SDSS detection with z-J > 3.
4. Calculate proper motions of UKIDSS-SDSS detected objects then identify objects in wide separated binary system.

This project could results a list of T dwarfs candidates (possibly includes some late T dwarf candidates with special near-infrared colors), and some T dwarfs candidates in wide separated binary systems.

Task 1 would be the challenge, because the list would be very large. If we can't solve this problem, we could reduce the list to ~300 thousands objects by make a Y-J color cut when we select objects from UKIDSS.

Project 3.

Participant Name: Octavi Fors

Submilliarcsecond resolution of thousands of IR sources by means of lunar occultations:

1. The observed area is given by the Moon path during a given period of time plus location site combination. Could VO tools provide such lunar track search area? Otherwise, I can provide starting and finishing (RA,DEC) coordinates of the rectangular box which approximately defines such area. An alternative way to define search box(es) for VO tools is that I can also provide a list of occulted sources (2MASS IDs, for example), each one with their predicted occultation time.
2. Search for reddest (K mag) objects in the area of interest, in particular for catalogues or archives different from 2MASS.
3. Search for objects with highest [J-K] colour index in the area of interest, in particular from catalogues or archives different from 2MASS.
4. Search for TTauri or other objects in star forming regions in the area(s) of interest.
5. Search for binaries and suspected binaries stars of any type in the area(s) of interest.
6. Search for cool L and T dwarfs in the area(s) of interest.
7. Search for interferometric calibrators in the area(s) of interest.
8. Search for nearby objects of any type, which are expected to be resolved, in the area(s) of interest.
9. Search for Masers, YSOs, Carbon stars, Planetary Nebulae and other objects which might show circumstellar emission at the scale to be resolved, in the area(s) of interest.
10. Search for sources with high number of references in the area(s) of interest.
11. Cross match all the objects hits obtained in 2.-10. with 2MASS and UKIDSS catalogues.
12. Creation of an image mosaic of the area of interest from a given survey.
13. Creation of an image/model-derived data mosaic of the area of interest of a dust extinction survey.
14. Search for spectroscopy for a given list of 2MASS IDs or (RA,DEC) coordinates.

Project 4.

Participant Name: Carmen De Martino

Project title: Search for new young massive clusters candidates with massive OBs, MYSOs, LBVs, RSGs and WR stars around the Milky Way disk

Project description:

The goal project is the detection of the above-mentioned clusters from our list containing some recent promising clusters through the VO applications that let us do:

• the check availability of all possible photometric and spectroscopic data for:

1. the stars of the each cluster candidate in DENIS, UKIDSS, 2MASS and Spitzer/GLIMPSE surveys;
2. the regions of the sky containing the same clusters in the radio surveys;

• the matching of their relative multiwavelength data, downloaded by the previous different and several databases;
• the selection of a sub-sample of cluster candidates of high-priority study based on the acquired information and the analysis of the built CMDs, CCDs and QMDs by using the obtained VO data.

Final aim: We propose to verify the effective nature of the choosen cluster candidates with a new characterization of their stellar content by using the broad-band imaging, long-slit and multi object spectroscopic observations that we'll do with LIRIS@WHT (La Palma).

Project 5.

Participant Name: Maria Ida Moretti

Project description: Photometric study of ultrafaint dwarf Spheroidal (dSph) galaxies satellites of the Milky Way.

To study faint and widespread objects like dSph galaxies, it is very usefull to collect multifilter images obtained with different telescope. In order to obtain Color Magnitude Diagramme of a dSph galaxy, it is necessary to implement some images reduction processes. One of more triky step in the image reduction is the line up proces of images that are not astrometrized. This operation can be summerized in a simplified way:

• Obtain geometric alignement of multifilter images respect to a reference image "A". (Note that: fields overlap but are not equals and that we don't have (α,δ) coordinates of the sources but only x,y position in each frame.)
• Obtain geometric trasformation equation for each images respect to "A".

Project 6.

Name: Silvia Vicente

Title: Multiwavelength studies of new objects discovered in VLT/NACO near-IR images

Goal: To get all possible information on new objects discovered in high-resolution near-IR images (L', Ks, 2.12 mic, 2.17 mic and 1.64 mic; 25" x 25") obtained with the AO instrument NAOS-CONICA at the VLT. The images were reduced but are not astrometrically corrected nor flux calibrated. An extended object is resolved in these images and represents a strong proplyd candidate.

Suggested steps:

1. Find an astrometric solution and calibrate the images using 2MASS counterparts.

2. Cross-correlate the NACO images with all the catalogs/surveys available at the VO (X-ray to radio)

3. Get the photometric and spectroscopic data available for the sources in the field-of-view .

4. Compute color-color diagrams and SEDs, for both point and extended sources.

5. Compare with theoretical models in order to access the nature of the objects.

6. A final analysis of the morphology of the extended object includes the continuum subtraction from the narrow-band images using a broad-band image (Ks) and deconvolution.

Project 7.

Participant Name: Cezary Galan

Project description: The targets are few extremely long-period (orbital periods from about 2 to somewhat above 20 of years) eclipsing binary systems: BL Tel, EE Cep, AZ Cas, V383 Sco, V381 Sco, VV Cep. All these systems contain extensive dust disc or cold supergiant as the companion to the hot star. The goals are: to estimate the parameters of interstellar extinction in the direction of these objects, to collect all available photometry and spectra in order to create SEDs.

• load into Aladin the images of fields around targets
• use catalogs of nearby OB associations and/or open star clusters within a few degrees (provided they exists) to estimate the total extinction (Av) and the ratio of total to differential extinction (R) in the areas (would it be possible?)
• search catalogs in order to obtain all available photometry and spectra
• deredden the data, create SEDs and try to fit multicomponent models

Project 8.

Participant Name: Pieter Neyskens

Project description: Looking for S-type AGB stars. These special types of AGB stars are very interesting study objects due to their varying carbon-over-oxygen ratio (C/O) and their s-process elements enrichments. S-type AGB stars are classified as stars with (strong) TiO and ZrO absorption bands in the optical wavelength domain (4000 AA- 8000 AA).

• Looking for classified S stars in catalogues
• Try to find optical spectra for these stars (Low- and high resolution)
• Try to find Geneva photometric data for these stars
• Deredden the spectroscopic and photometric data

Project 9.

Participant Name: Ernest Swierczynski

Project description: Photometry of recently discovered Catacysmic Variables (mainly classical novae and SU UMa - type stars) on time-scales from seconds to years. Searching for variability connected with orbital and spin period.

• Searching for photometric standards in CV fields in the UBV (Johnson) and RI (Johnson- Cousins) system
• absolute photometry using standards in Landolt's fields and open clusters photometry.
• dereddening photometric data
• eliminate blended stars from list of standards using image application (DS9, Alladin)
• looking for historical plates to find brightness of progenitors of CV.

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Project 10.

Participant Name: Valentina D'Orazi

Project description: Searching for proto-globular clusters

The aim is to collect identifications and all photometric and spectroscopic existing data on candidate or confirmed globular clusters and super star-clusters in nearby galaxies.

Interacting systems are the ideal laboratory to hunt these objects, especially the youngest ones.

A multiwavelength approach is required, from mid-infrared to ultraviolet.

Project 11.

Participant Name: Fabrice Durier

Project description: Cross-searching for galaxy properties in various databases

The main goal of this project is to search catalogs in order to obtain all available photometry of galaxies that will later be compared to the results of our cosmological SPH simulations. We want to construct Color-Magnitude Diagrams for selected rest-frame bands and produce the contour distributions (eventually for sub-samples as well). All the other available informations (from dynamics to chemical properties) like Star Formation Rate, gas fraction... will be listed and collected. As a secondary exercise for this project, we need to collect all public data on the Cosmic-Star Formation History.

Help on editing and creating wiki pages is available here http://cds.u-strasbg.fr/twikiAIDA/bin/view/TWiki/TextFormattingRules , and with more than you want to know here http://cds.ustrasbg.fr/twikiAIDA/bin/view/TWiki/WebHome . Usually the best advice is to just keep it simple!

Example Projects

-- MarkAllen - 18 Dec 2009