Fernando Pedichini

Optical and Infrared Observations of the Supernova SN 1999el

Optical and near-infrared light curves of the Type IIn supernova SN 1999el in NGC 6951 are presented. A period of 220 days (416 days in the near-infrared) is covered from the first observation obtained a few days before maximum light. Spectroscopic observations are also discussed. Using as a distance calibrator the Type Ia SN 2000E, which occurred some months later in the same galaxy, and fitting a blackbody law to the photometric data, we obtain a maximum bolometric luminosity for SN 1999el of ~1044 ergs s-1. In general, the photometric properties of SN 1999el are very similar to those of SN 1998S, a bright and well-studied Type IIn supernova, showing a fast decline in all observed bands similar to those of Type II-L supernovae. The differences with SN 1998S are analyzed and ascribed to the differences in a preexisting circumstellar envelope in which dust was already present at the moment of the SN outburst. We infer that light echoes may play a possibly significant role in affecting the observed properties of the light curves, although improved theoretical models are needed to account for the data. We conclude that mass loss in the progenitor RG stars is episodic and occurs in an asymmetric way. This implies that collapsing massive stars appear as normal Type II supernovae if this occurs far from major mass-loss episodes, whereas they appear as Type IIn supernovae if a large mass-loss episode is in progress.

A Deep Large Binocular Telescope View of the Canes Venatici I Dwarf Galaxy

We present the first deep color-magnitude diagram of the Canes Venatici I (CVn I) dwarf galaxy from observations with the wide-field Large Binocular Camera on the Large Binocular Telescope. Reaching down to the main-sequence turnoff of the oldest stars, it reveals a dichotomy in the stellar populations of CVn I: it harbors an old (10 Gyr), metal-poor ( -->[ Fe/H ] ~ ? 2.0), and spatially extended population along with a much younger (~1.4-2.0 Gyr), 0.5 dex more metal-rich, and spatially more concentrated population. These young stars are also offset by + 40−20 --> pc to the east of the galaxy center. The data suggest that this young population, which represents ~3%-5% of the stellar mass of the galaxy within its half-light radius, should be identified with the kinematically cold stellar component found in a recent spectroscopic survey. CVn I therefore follows the behavior of the other remote MW dwarf spheroidals, which all contain intermediate-age and/or young populations: a complex star formation history is possible in extremely low mass galaxies.

AquEYE, a single photon counting photometer for astronomy

This paper describes the results obtained so far with AquEYE, a single photon counting, fixed aperture photometer for the Asiago 182 cm telescope. AquEYE has been conceived as a prototype of a truly ‘quantum’ photometer for future Extremely Large Telescopes of 30–50 m aperture. This prototype is characterized by four independent channels equipped with single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) as detectors. The counts from the four channels are acquired by a TDC board which has a nominal 25 ps time tagging capability. Taking into account the 35 ps jitter in the SPAD itself, the overall precision of the time tags is of the order of 50 ps. The internal oscillator is locked to an external rubidium clock; a GPS pulse per second is collected by the TDC itself to obtain a UTC reference. The maximum photon count rate which the present system can sustain is 12 MHz.

Commissioning of a 4Kx4K CCD mosaic and the new ESO FIERA CCD controller at the SUSI-2 imager of the NTT

We present the characteristics of the new CCD imager, SUSI2, installed at the ESO 3.5 m NTT. The instrument shares the Nasmyth focus A with the new infrared imager-spectrograph SOFI. The focal plane array of USSI2 is a mosaic of 2 EEV44- 82, 2k X 4k, 15 micrometer pixels, thinned, anti-reflection coated CCDs, which are placed at the direct focus of the telescope (scale 0.08 arcsec/pixel, field of view 5.5 X 5.5 arcmin). The average QE for the two devices is 76, 90, 85, 80, 68, 49, 23% at 350, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 nm respectively. The overall instrument efficiency, including the three mirrors of the telescope and the detector but without filters, is computed to be 46, 55, 51, and 48% at the central wavelengths of the U, B, V and R bands. The CCDs are driven by the new ESO CCD controller FIERA. The system performance was measured during the commissioning of the instrument at the telescope in February 98. The mosaic is read in 16 seconds in the standard operating mode (2 X 2 binning of the CCDs) with a read-out-noise of 4.7 e-/pixel. The other CCD parameters such as CTE, dark current and linearity, were also found to comply with the requirements. The FWHM of stellar sources in images obtained in good seeing conditions were measured to be 0.49 arcsec, with no significant variation over the field of view.

The NIR arm of SHARK: System for coronagraphy with High-order Adaptive optics from R to K bands

SHARK is a proposal aimed at investigating the technical feasibility and the scientific capabilities of high-contrast cameras to be implemented at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). SHARK foresees two separated channels: near-infrared (NIR) channel and visible, both providing imaging and coronagraphic modes. We describe here the SHARK instrument concept, with particular emphasis on the NIR channel at the level of a conceptual study, performed in the framework of the call for proposals for new LBT instruments. The search for giant extra-Solar planets is the main science case, as we will outline in the paper.

The ESO transportable LGS Unit for measurements of the LGS photon return and other experiments

Sodium laser guide stars (LGS) are used, or planned to be used, as single or multiple artificial beacons for Adaptive Optics in many present or future large and extremely large telescopes projects. In our opinion, several aspects of the LGS have not been studied systematically and thoroughly enough in the past to ensure optimal system designs. ESO has designed and built, with support from industry, an experimental transportable laser guide star unit, composed of a compact laser based on the ESO narrow-band Raman Fiber Amplifier patented technology, attached to a 30cm launch telescope. Besides field tests of the new laser technology, the purpose of the transportable unit is to conduct field experiments related to LGS and LGS-AO, useful for the optimization of future LGS-AO systems. Among the proposed ones are the validation of ESO LGS return flux simulations as a function of CW and pulsed laser properties, the feasibility of line-of-sight sodium profile measurements via partial CW laser modulation and tests of AO operation with elongated LGS in the EELT geometry configuration. After a description of the WLGSU and its main capabilities, results on the WLGSU commissioning and LGS return flux measurements are presented.

SWIRCAM: a NIR imager-spectrometer to search for extragalactic supernovae

We present the main characteristics and astronomical results of SWIRCAM, a NIR imager-spectrometer mainly devoted to the search for extragalactic Supernovae, in the frame of the SWIRT project, a joint scientific collaboration among the Astronomical Observatories of Rome, Teramo and Pulkovo. The camera is currently at the focal plane of the AZT-24 1.1 m telescope at the Observing Station of Campo Imperatore, operated by the Astronomical Observatory of Rome. SWIRCAM saw its first light during December 1998 and it is currently employed for both the SWIRT operative phase and other institutional projects.

Digitization and Scientific Exploitation of the Italian and Vatican Astronomical Plate Archives

There is a widespread interest to digitize the precious information contained in the astronomical plate archives, both for the preservation of their content and for its fast distribution to all interested researchers in order to achieve their better scientific exploitation. This paper presents the first results of our large-scale project to digitize the archive of plates of the Italian Astronomical Observatories and of the Specola Vaticana. Similar systems, composed by commercial flat-bed retro-illuminated scanners plus dedicated personal computers and acquisition and analysis software, have been installed in all participating Institutes. Ad-hoc codes have been developed to acquire the data, to test the suitability of the machines to our scientific needs, and to reduce the digital data in order to extract the astrometric, photometric and spectroscopic content. Two more elements complete the overall project: the provision of high quality BVRI CCD sequences in selected fields with the Campo Imperatore telescopes, and the distribution of the digitized information to all interested researchers via the Web. The methods we have derived in the course of this project have been already applied successfully to plates taken by other Observatories, for instance at Byurakan and at Hamburg.

Wide and deep near-UV (360 nm) galaxy counts and the extragalactic background light with the Large Binocular Camera

Context. Deep multicolour surveys are the main tool for exploring the formation and evolution of the very faint galaxies that are beyond the spectroscopic limit of present technology. The photometric properties of these faint galaxies are usually compared with current renditions of semianalytical models to provide constraints on the detailed treatment of the fundamental physical processes involved in galaxy formation and evolution, namely the mass assembly and the star formation. Aims. Galaxy counts over large sky areas in the 360 nm near-UV band are particularly difficult to obtain given the low efficiency of near-UV instrumentation, even at 8 m class telescopes. Observing in the near-UV bands can provide a first assessment of the distribution of star formation activity in distant (up to z ∼ 3) galaxies. A relatively large instrumental field of view helps to minimize the biases caused by cosmic variance. Methods. We obtained deep images in the 360 nm U band provided by the blue channel of the Large Binocular Camera at the prime focus of the Large Binocular Telescope. Over an area of � 0.4 sq. deg., we derived the galaxy number counts down to U = 27 in the Vega system (corresponding to U = 27.86 in the AB system) at a completeness level of 30% reaching the faintest current limit for this wavelength and sky area. Results. The shape of the galaxy number counts in the U band can be described by a double power-law, the bright side being consistent with the shape of shallower surveys of comparable or greater areas. The slope bends over significantly at U > 23.5 ensuring the convergence of the contribution by star-forming galaxies to the extragalactic background light in the near-UV band to a value that is more than 70% of the most recent upper limits derived for this band. We jointly compared our near-UV and K band counts collected from the literature with a few selected hierarchical CDM models, concentrating on specific critical issues in the physical description of the galaxy formation and evolution.

Lyman continuum escape fraction of faint galaxies at z ~ 3.3 in the CANDELS/GOODS-North, EGS, and COSMOS fields with LBC

ASI-INAF [I/009/10/0]; European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere under ESO programme(s) [185.A-0791]