Carlos Maximiliano Dutra

New infrared star clusters in the Northern and Equatorial Milky Way with 2MASS

We carried out a survey of infrared star clusters and stellar groups on the 2MASS J, H and Ks all-sky release Atlas in the Northern and Equatorial Milky Way (350 ◦ <�< 360 ◦ ,0 ◦ <�< 230 ◦ ). The search in this zone complements that in the Southern Milky Way (Dutra et al. 2003a). The method concentrates efforts on the directions of known optical and radio nebulae. The present study provides 167 new infrared clusters, stellar groups and candidates. Combining the two studies for the whole Milky Way, 346 infrared clusters, stellar groups and candidates were discovered, whereas 315 objects were previously known. They constitute an important new sample for future detailed studies.

Low-extinction windows in the inner Galactic Bulge

We built K band extinction maps in the area of two candidate low-extinction windows in the inner Bulge: W0.2-2.1 at (l,b) = (0.25o,-2.15o), and W359.4-3.1 at (l,b) = (359.40o,-3.10o). We employed JHKs photometry from the 2MASS Point Source Catalog. Extinction values were determined by fitting the upper giant branch found in the present 2MASS Ks x J-Ks diagrams to a de-reddened bulge stellar population reference giant branch. We tested the method on the well known Baades and Sgr I windows: the 2MASS mean extinction values in these fields agreed well with those of previous studies. We confirm the existence of low-extinction windows in the regions studied, as local minima in the A_K maps reaching A_K values about 2 standard deviations below the mean values found in the neighbouring areas. Schlegel et al.s (1998) FIR extinction maps, which integrate dust contributions throughout the Galaxy, are structurally similar to those derived with 2MASS photometry in the two studied windows. We thus conclude that the dust clouds affecting the 2MASS and FIR maps in these directions are basically the same and are located on foreground of the bulk of bulge stars. However, the A_K absolute values differ significantly. In particular, the FIR extinction values for W359.4-3.1 are a factor ~1.45 larger than those derived from the 2MASS photometry. Possible explanations of this effect are discussed. The lower Galactic latitudes of the low-extinction windows W359.4-3.1 and W0.2-2.1, as compared to Baades Window, make them promising targets for detailed studies of more central bulge regions.

A Revised and Extended Catalog of Magellanic System Clusters, Associations, and Emission Nebulae. II. The Large Magellanic Cloud

A survey of extended objects in the Large Magellanic Cloud was carried out on the ESO/SERC R and J Sky Survey Atlases, checking entries in previous catalogs and searching for new objects. The census provided 6659 objects including star clusters, emission-free associations, and objects related to emission nebulae. Each of these classes contains three subclasses with intermediate properties, which are used to infer total populations. The survey includes cross identifications among catalogs, and we present 3246 new objects. We provide accurate positions, classification, and homogeneous measurements of sizes and position angles, as well as information on cluster pairs and hierarchical relation for superimposed objects. This unification and enlargement of catalogs is important for future searches of fainter and smaller new objects. We discuss the angular and size distributions of the objects of the different classes. The angular distributions show two off-centered systems with different inclinations, suggesting that the LMC disk is warped. The present catalog together with its previous counterpart for the SMC and the inter-Cloud region provide a total population of 7847 extended objects in the Magellanic System. The angular distribution of the ensemble reveals important clues on the interaction between the LMC and SMC.

A general catalogue of extended objects in the Magellanic System

We update the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), Bridge and Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) catalogues of extended objects that were constructed by members of our group from 1995 to 2000. In addition to the rich subsequent literature for the previous classes, we now also include H I shells and supershells. A total of 9305 objects were cross-identified, while our previous catalogues amounted to 7900 entries, an increase of ≈12 per cent. We present the results in subcatalogues containing 1445 emission nebulae, 3740 star clusters, 3326 associations and 794 H I shells and supershells. Angular and apparent size distributions of the extended objects are analysed. We conclude that the objects, in general, appear to respond to tidal effects arising from the LMC, SMC and Bridge. Number-density profiles extracted along directions parallel and perpendicular to the LMC bar, can be described by two exponential-discs. A single exponential-disc fits the equivalent SMC profiles. Interestingly, when angular-averaged number-densities of most of the extended objects are considered, the profiles of both Clouds do not follow an exponential-disc. Rather, they are best described by a tidally truncated, core/halo profile, despite the fact that the Clouds are clearly disturbed discs. On the other hand, the older star clusters taken isolately, distribute as an exponential disc. The present catalogue is an important tool for the unambiguous identification of previous objects in current CCD surveys and to establish new findings.

A Catalogue of infrared star clusters and stellar groups

We compiled a catalogue of infrared star clusters in the Galaxy, which are most of them embedded. It condenses the growing literature information. We also include in the sample infrared stellar groups which are less dense than star clusters, such as those embedded in the dark clouds Taurus-Auriga and Chamaleon I. We provide galactic and equatorial coordinates, angular dimensions, different designations and related objects such as nebulae. A total of 189 infrared clusters and 87 embedded stellar groups are included. A fraction of 25 % of the embedded clusters are projected close to each other in pair or triplet systems, indicating that multiplicity plays an important role in star cluster formation.

New infrared star clusters and candidates in the Galaxy detected with 2MASS

A sample of 42 new infrared star clusters, stellar groups and candidates was found throughout the Galaxy in the 2MASS J, H and especially KS atlases. In the Cygnus X region 19 new clusters, stellar groups and candidates were found as compared to 6 such objects in the previous literature. Colour-Magnitude Diagrams using the 2MASS Point Source Catalogue provided preliminary distance estimates in the range 1:0 < d < 1:8 kpc for 7 Cygnus X clusters. Towards the central parts of the Galaxy 7 new IR clusters and candidates were found as compared to 61 previous objects. A search for prominent dark nebulae in KS was also carried out in the central bulge area. We report 5 dark nebulae, 2 of them are candidates for molecular clouds able to generate massive star clusters near the Nucleus, such as the Arches and Quintuplet clusters.

Extinction within 10° of the Galactic centre using 2MASS

We extract J and K_s magnitudes from the 2MASS Point Source Catalog for approximately 6 million stars with 8<K_s<13 in order to build an A_K extinction map within 10 degrees of the Galactic centre. The extinction was determined by fitting the upper giant branch of (K_s, J-K_s) colour-magnitude diagrams to a dereddened upper giant branch mean locus built from previously studied Bulge fields. The extinction values vary from A_K=0.05 in the edges of the map up to A_K=3.2 close to the Galactic centre. The 2MASS extinction map was compared to that recently derived from DENIS data. Both maps agree very well up to A_K=1.0. The 2MASS extinction values were also compared to those obtained from dust emission in the far infrared using DIRBE/IRAS. Several systematic effects likely to bias this comparison were addressed, including the presence of dust on the background of the bulk of 2MASS stars used in the extinction determination. For the region with

A catalogue of dust clouds in the Galaxy

3^{\circ}<|b|<5^{\circ}

Does Cyg OB2 harbour any open cluster

, where the dust contribution on the far side of the Galaxy is

Background galaxies as reddening probes throughout the Magellanic Clouds

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