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Observations of faint galaxies with adaptive optics

P SOC PHOTO-OPT INS 4834 (2003) 302-309

Authors:

R Davies, M Lehnert, AJ Baker, N Thatte, A Renzini, D Bonaccini

Abstract:

Encouraged by imaging of faint galaxies around bright stars using ALFA on the 3.5-m telescope at Calar Alto, we have begun a survey to identify a large number of candidate sources near bright stars. In this contribution we report the status of this survey and show our preliminary results from deep imaging around one of these stars during the early phases of CONICA and NAOS on the 8.2-m VLT. We outline the exciting prospects for this type of work in terms of number counts, morphology, and rotation curve analyses.
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Optical Spectroscopy of young brown dwarfs in Orion

IAU SYMP (2003) 69-70

Authors:

FC Riddick, PF Roche, PW Lucas

Abstract:

Red spectra of a sample of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs in the Orion Trapezium cluster are discussed. They show late-type spectral characteristics confirming cluster membership and some show evidence of circumstellar activity.
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Optical identification of the ASCA Lynx Deep Survey:: An association of quasi-stellar objects and a supercluster at z=1.3?

ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL 598:1 (2003) 210-215

Authors:

K Ohta, M Akiyama, Y Ueda, T Yamada, K Nakanishi, GB Dalton, Y Ogasaka, T Kii, K Hayashida
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Probing the bottom end of the IMF in orion with Gemini

IAU SYMP (2003) 63-66

Authors:

PW Lucas, PF Roche, FC Riddick

Abstract:

We present very deep JHK imaging of the Trapezium Cluster obtained with Gemini South/Flamingos and Gemini North/Hokupa'a. These images probe the IMF down to similar to 2 M-Jup in a total area of similar to 8 arcmin(2). Several very faint new planetary mass candidates are detected and sources previously detected with UKIRT are verified. Photometry of 124 point sources in this field produces a Luminosity Function which. drops to zero at K=18.75. Allowing. for modest extinction this corresponds to a possible turn-down in the IMF near 5 Mjup. A minority of PMOs exhibit large K band excesses attributed to hot dust, confirming their extreme youth. Some of the faintest sources are associated with short trails of light of uncertain nature. These may provide a clue to the origin of PMOs, perhaps marking evacuated paths cleared by rapidly moving objects.
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SAURON: Observations of E/S0/SA galaxies

REV MEX AST ASTR 17 (2003) 199-199

Authors:

H Kuntschner, R Bacon, M Bureau, M Cappellari, Y Copin, RL Davies, E Emsellem, BW Miller, R McDermid, RF Peletier, EK Verolme, PT de Zeeuw

Abstract:

We present results from a new and unique integral-field spectrograph, SAURON. It has a large field of view and high throughput and is primarily built for the study of stellar & gaseous kinematics and stellar populations in galaxies. Its aim is to carry out a systematic survey of the velocity fields, velocity dispersions, and line-strength distributions of nearby ellipticals, lenticular galaxies and spiral bulges.
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