Related papers: Mapping differential reddening in the inner Galact…
Three dimensional interstellar extinction maps provide a powerful tool for stellar population analysis. We use data from the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea survey together with the Besan\c{c}on stellar population synthesis model of the…
Differential $E_{V-I}$ variations of up to $\sim 0.2$ mag on a scale of arcminutes across NGC 3201 are presented in the form of an extinction map. This map, created by calculating average $E_{V-I}$ values for stars in small subregions of…
When the logarithmic slope of the galaxy counts is lower than 0.4 (this is the case in all filters at large magnitude), the magnification bias due to the lens makes the number density of objects decrease, and consequently, the radial…
We present detailed maps of the microlensing optical depth and event density over an area of 195 sq. deg towards the Galactic bulge. The maps are computed from synthetic stellar catalogues generated from the Besancon Galaxy Model, which…
We present a description of the observations and data reduction procedures for an extensive spectroscopic and multi-band photometric study of nine high redshift, optically-selected cluster candidates. The primary goal of the survey is to…
Our main goal is to derive a new extinction map of the OMC-1, obtaining information about the structure of the OMC-1 and the Orion Nebula Cluster. The most recent near-infrared catalog of stars is used to study the distribution of reddening…
The clustering of galaxy clusters is a powerful cosmological tool, which can help to break degeneracies between parameters when combined with other cosmological observables. We aim to demonstrate its potential in constraining cosmological…
Weak lensing is one of the best available diagnostic tools to measure the total density profiles of distant clusters of galaxies. Unfortunately, it suffers from the well-known mass-sheet degeneracy, so that weak lensing analyses cannot lead…
Weak gravitational lensing is considered to be one of the most powerful tools to study the mass and the mass distribution of galaxy clusters. However, weak lensing mass reconstructions are plagued by the so-called mass-sheet degeneracy--the…
The Galaxy and the stars in it form a hierarchical system, such that the properties of individual stars are influenced by those of the Galaxy. Here, an approach is described which uses hierarchical Bayesian models to simultaneously and…
Extragalactic stars within galaxy clusters contribute to the intracluster light (ICL), which is thought to be a promising tracer of the underlying dark matter (DM) distribution. In this study, we employ the TNG300 simulation to investigate…
We present wide field photometry of the Galactic Globular Cluster M~22 in the B, V and I passbands for more than 186,000 stars. The study is complemented by the photometry in two narrowband filters centered on H$_{\alpha}$ and the adjacent…
We discuss the first results from ongoing studies of the resolved stellar populations in the outskirts of our nearest large neighbour, M31. Deep HST/WFPC2 archival observations are used to construct colour-magnitude-diagrams which reach…
We present an approach that improves the search for reliable astrophysical parameters (e.g. age, mass, and distance) of differentially-reddened, pre-main sequence-rich star clusters. It involves simulating conditions related to the…
Rich and massive clusters of galaxies at intermediate redshift are capable of magnifying and distorting the images of background galaxies. A comparison of different mass estimators among these clusters can provide useful information about…
We use high-precision photometry of red-giant-branch (RGB) stars in 57 Galactic globular clusters (GCs), mostly from the `Hubble Space Telescope (HST) UV Legacy Survey of Galactic globular clusters', to identify and characterize their…
The high cosmological precision offered by the next generation of galaxy surveys hinges on improved corrections for Galactic dust extinction. We explore the possibility of estimating both the dust extinction and large-scale structure from a…
A cluster finding method was developed and applied in four Local Group Galaxies (SMC, M31, M33 and NGC 6822). The aim is to study the young stellar population of these galaxies by identifying stellar structures in small and large scales.…
It is often argued that young stellar clusters suffer a significant infant mortality that is partly related to the expulsion of dust and gas in their early phases caused by radiation pressure from hot stars and supernovae. Near-infrared…
Various methods for age dating globular clusters in ellipticals are presented. We first present spectroscopy of individual globular clusters (feasible with the advent of the 10m-class telescopes), and the measurement of Balmer line indices.…