First Light Science with the GTC -...

First Light Science with the GTC

Program and Abstracts


Organizing Committees

LOC – Local Organizing Committee Chris Packham (co-Chair), University of Florida

Rafael Guzman (co-Chair), University of Florida

Anthony Gonzalez, University of Florida

Vicki Sarajedini, University of Florida

Stanley Dermott, University of Florida

SOC – Scientific Organizing CommitteeRafael Guzman (Chair), UF, USA

Jose Alberto Lopez, IAUNAM, Mexico

Charles Telesco, UF, USA

Elizabeth Lada, UF, USA

Francisco Garzon, IAC, Spain

Francisco Sanchez, IAC, Spain

Itziar Aretxaga, INAOE, Mexico

Jesus Gallego, UCM, Spain

Jesus Gonzalez, IA-UNAM, Mexico

Jian Ge, UF, USA

Jordi Cepa, IAC, Spain

Jose Franco, IA-UNAM, Mexico

Jose Guichard, INAOE, Mexico

Jose M. R. Espinosa, GTC project office, Spain

Luis Colina. IEM-CSIC, Spain

Marc Balcells, IAC, Spain

Mariano Moles, IAA, Spain

Marisa Garcia, GTC project office, Spain

Stanley Dermott, UF, USA

Steve Eikenberry, UF, USA

Xavier Barcons, CSIC, Spain


Sponsors

Research & Graduate Programs

First Light Science with the GTC would like to thank these organizations for their support of this meeting.


General InformationDate:Main Conference: Wednesday, June 28 - Friday, June 30, 2006

Post Conference Workshops: Saturday, July 1 - Tuesday, July 4, 2006

Site of the Meeting:The Biltmore Hotel1200 Anastasia AvenueCoral Gables, FL 33134Tel: (305) 445-1926FAX: (305) 913-3159Web Site: http://www.biltmorehotel.com

Oral Presentations: Merrick & Stoneman Douglas (simulcast)

Poster Presentations: Tuttle, Flagler & Deering

Lunch: Alhambra

Notice to Speakers:The speakers are requested to bring their Power Point presentation to the session room 30 minutes be-fore their sessions. A speaker-ready computer will be available for speakers to check their media prior to their presentations. Please check with the registration desk for details.

Notice to Poster Presenters:Pins will be provided and placed in the poster area. Each poster board is marked with a number refer-ring to the poster number in the program. Posters should be mounted by 8:00am on Wednesday, June 28 and removed by 6:00pm on Friday, June 30. Presenters are requested to be present at their posters during the coffee breaks.

Social Program:All registered participants and paid companions are invited.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006 at 7:00pmWelcome Reception — Alhambra Terrace

Thursday, June 29, 2006 at 6:00pmAlumni Night Reception — Alhambra

Friday, June 30, 2006 at 7:30pmConference Banquet & Fiesta — Country Club Ballroom


General InformationRegistration:Registration includes admission to scientific sessions (oral and posters). It also includes morning and afternoon coffee breaks, the Welcome Reception (Tuesday evening), three complimentary lunches (Wednesday to Friday), the Alumni Night Reception (Thursday evening), and the Conference Banquet & Fiesta (Friday evening).

Registrants will receive a folder containing conference materials, the abstract book and a list of regis-tered participants. .

Late registrations fees:

Regular — $450.00 (US)

Accompanying person — $80.00 (US)

Mode of Payment:Credit Card (Visa, Master Card and American Express): Please specify card number, expiration date, and the name of the card holder.

Personal Check: Must be drawn on a U.S. bank.

Cash

Local Information:For more information about the Coral Gables, Florida area please visit the official travel site for the area at: http://www.citybeautiful.net/CGWeb/visitors.aspx

Internet AccessInternet access will be available for all conference participants at the conference information table.

Hotel Restaurants & Hours:Palme d’Or: Tuesday - Thursday 6:0 0-10:30pm; Friday & Saturday 6:00-11:30pm

1200 Courtyard Grill: Breakfast 6:30-11:30am; Lunch 11:30am-5:00pm; Dinner 5:00-10:30pm

Cascade (poolside): Lunch 11:30am-3:00pm; Light Snack Menu 3:00-5:30pm

19th Hole Sports Bar & Grill: Daily 6:30am-6:00pm


The Biltmore Hotel Conference Area Map

~ Lunch~ Welcome Reception~ Alumni Night Reception

~ Simulcast Room~ Hispanic Alumni Association Talk ~ General Session

~ Posters

~ Breaks

Main Hotel

Conference Center


Coral Gables Area Map


Scientific Program — Agenda

SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS

Tuesday, June 27, 20065:00-7:00pm Check-in/Registration/Information Booth Open

7:00-9:00pm Welcome Reception — Alhambra Terrace

Wednesday, June 28, 20067:30am-6:30pm Check-in/Registration/Information Booth Open

8:30-9:00am Welcome – Merrick & Stoneman Douglas (simulcast)

9:00-10:30am Session I – Merrick & Stoneman Douglas (simulcast)

10:30-11:00am Coffee Break and Poster Viewing – Tuttle/Flagler/Deering/Bowman

11:00am-12:30pm Session II – Merrick & Stoneman Douglas (simulcast)

12:30-2:30pm Lunch – Alhambra

2:30-4:00pm Session III – Merrick & Stoneman Douglas (simulcast)

4:00-4:30pm Coffee Break and Poster Viewing – Tuttle/Flagler/Deering/Bowman

4:30-6:00pm Session IV – Merrick & Stoneman Douglas (simulcast)

Thursday, June 29, 20068:00am-6:30pm Check-in/Registration/Information Booth Open

8:30-10:20am Session V – Merrick & Stoneman Douglas (simulcast)


11:00am-12:30pm Session VI – Merrick & Stoneman Douglas (simulcast)


2:30-4:30pm Session VII – Merrick

4:30-6:00pm Hispanic Alumni Association Talk – Members Only – Stoneman Douglas

6:00-8:00pm “Gran Telescopio Canarias: A Partnership for Discovery” Reception with high dignitaries from Spain, Mexico and the United States – Alhambra


Friday, June 30, 20068:00am-6:30pm Check-in/Registration/Information Booth Open

8:30-10:20am Session VIII – Merrick & Stoneman Douglas (simulcast)


11:00am-12:30pm Session IX – Merrick & Stoneman Douglas (simulcast)


2:30-4:00pm Session X – Merrick & Stoneman Douglas (simulcast)

4:00-4:30pm Coffee Break and Poster Viewing – Tuttle/Flagler/Deering/Bowman

4:30-6:00pm Session XI – Merrick & Stoneman Douglas (simulcast)

6:00-6:10pm Closing Remarks – Merrick & Stoneman Douglas (simulcast)

8:30pm-Late Conference Dinner/Fiesta – Country Club Ballroom

Saturday, July 1, 2006 – Post Conference Workshops FRIDA Workshop – Alberto Lopez

CANARICAM Workshop 1 – Chris Packham

CANARICAM Workshop 2 – Charlie Telesco

OSIRIS Workshop – Jordi Cepa

Sunday, July 2, 2006 – Post Conference Workshops EMIR Workshop – Francisco Garzon

ELMER Workshop – Marisa Garcia

NAHUAL Workshop – Eduardo Martin

Monday & Tuesday, July 3 & 4, 2006 – Post Conference Workshops9:00am-6:00pm GOYA Workshop – Marc Balcells

Scientific Program — Agenda

Scientific Program — Oral SessionsSCIENTIFIC SESSIONS

Wednesday, June 298:30 - 8:40am Rafael Guzman Welcome

8:40 - 9:00am Jose Miguel Rodriguez The GTC: getting ready for First Light

SESSION I9:00 - 9:30am Charles Telesco Invited Talk

9:30 - 9:50am Marisa Garcia Elmer performance: results of laboratory tests

9:50 - 10:10am Jordi Cepa OSIRIS assembly and integration

10:10 - 10:30am Chris Packham CanariCam: status and science prospects

10:30 - 11:00am Coffee Break and Poster Viewing

SESSION II11:00 - 11:30am Artemio Herrero Invited Talk

11:30 - 11:50am Francisco Garzon EMIR, the GTC NIR imager spectrograph

11:50am - 12:10pm Alberto Lopez FRIDA: the science instrument for the GTC adaptive optics system

12:10 - 12:30pm Michelle Edwards CIRCE: the Canarias infrared camera experiment

12:30 - 2:30pm Lunch (Alhambra)

SESSION III2:30 - 3:00pm Jesus Gonzalez Invited Talk

3:00 - 3:20pm Charo Villamariz How to observe with GTC

3:20 - 3:40pm Antonio Cabrera The GCS data processing kit

3:40 - 4:00pm James Hough New opportunities for polarization with CanariCam

4:00 - 4:30pm Coffee Break and Poster Viewing

Scientific Program — Oral SessionsSESSION IV4:30 - 5:00pm Jian Ge Invited Talk

5:00 - 5:20pm David Barrado The Lambda Orions star forming region: the Spitzer perspective

5:20 - 5:40pm Eduardo Martin Brown dwarf candidates ready for GTC follow-up

5:40 - 6:00pm Maria Morales A sensitive search for variability in late L dwarfs

Thursday, June 29

SESSION V 8:30 - 9:00am Elizabeth Lada Invited Talk

9:00 - 9:20am Rafael Rebolo Chemical composition of black hole and neutron star companions

9:20 - 9:40am Ata Sarajedini Local group stellar populations with the GTC

9:40 - 10:00am Antonio Marin-Franch Surface-brightness fluctuations in stellar populations

10:00 - 10:20am Reba Bandyopadhyay Determining the nature of the faint X-ray source population near GC


SESSION VI11:00 - 11:30am Emilio Alfaro Invited Talk

11:30 - 11:50am Peter Hammersley EMIR spectroscopic survey of the inner galaxy

11:50am - 12:10pm Jonathan C. Tan Star formation near supermassive black holes

12:10 - 12:30pm Elizabeth Tasker Building a virtual Milky Way

12:30 - 2:30pm Lunch and Poster Viewing (Alhambra)

SESSION VII2:30 - 3:00pm Manuel Peimbert Invited Talk

3:00 - 3:20pm Rosa Gonzalez The warm interstellar gas in starbursts and AGNs

3:20 - 3:40pm Miriam Pena Deep spectroscopy of planetary nebulae and compact HII regions

3:40 - 4:10pm Almudena Alonso Invited Talk

4:10 - 4:30pm Tanio Diaz-Santos T-ReCS mid-infrared observations of local LIRGs

Friday, June 30

SESSION VIII8:30 - 9:00am Meg Urry Invited Talk

9:00 - 9:20am Jorge P. Gallego 3D spectroscopy of luminous blue compact galaxies

9:20 - 9:40am Juha Reunanen VLT/SINFONI spectroscopy of nearby galaxies

9:40 - 10:00am Ana Matkovic Faber-Jackson relation for dE/ds0 galaxies

10:00 - 10:20am David Clark X-ray source environments in the dwarf starburst galaxy NGC1569


SESSION IX11:00 - 11:30am Stephen Eikenberry Invited Talk

11:30 - 11:50am Xavier Barcons Obscured and unobscured growth of supermassive black holes

11:50am - 12:10pm Patrick Roche Spatially-resolved mid-IR spectroscopy of nearby galaxy nuclei

12:10 - 12:30pm Nicolas Gruel Simulations of GTC/FRIDA observations of high-redshift galaxies

12:30 - 2:30pm Lunch (Alhambra)

Scientific Program — Oral Sessions

Scientific Program — Oral SessionsSESSION X2:30 - 3:00pm David Koo Invited Talk

3:00 - 3:20pm Anthony Gonzalez Galaxy evolution during the epoch of cluster assembly

3:20 - 3:40pm Marc Balcells The formation epoch of ellipticals and red-sequence galaxies

3:40 - 4:00pm Luc Binette Large scale absorbers in the environment of high-z RGs

4:00 - 4:30pm Coffee Break and Poster Viewing

SESSION XI4:30 - 5:00pm Roberto Terlevich Invited Talk

5:00 - 5:20pm Roser Pello Galaxies at z>7: probing galaxy formation with new NIRMOS

5:20 - 5:40pm Hsiao-Wen Chen Chemical enrichment of the IGM and ISM in the distant universe

5:40 - 6:00pm Mike Gladders Galaxy clusters, cosmology, and magellan instrumentation

6:00 - 6:10pm Stan Dermott Closing Remarks

Scientific Program — Posters

SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS

PosterBoard #

(1) Abel Bernal A high resolution scanning Fabry-Perot for OSIRIS

(2) Beatriz Sanchez FRIDA management plan

(3) Esperanza Carrasco Manufacturing of FRODOSPEC red arm optics and mounts

(4) Francisco Cobos D. Expected OSIRIS efficiency

(5) Francisco Reyes Faculty support

(6) Javier Fuentes FRIDA system architecture

(7) Jesus Gonzalez OSIRIS camera barrel

(8) Luis J. Corral Elmer’s web pages

(9) Mamadou N’Diaye Exploring high contrast resolution imaging for FRIDA

(10) Marc Vallbe Mumbru The commissioning of EMIR

(11) Maria Alejandra Di Cesare Alteration in hypothalamic NPY in CCK2 receptor knockout mice

(12) S. Nicholas Raines FISICA: the Florida image slicer for infrared astrophysics and cosmology

(13) Salvador Carlos Cuevas Cardona FRIDA optical design

(14) Sergio Pascual Data reduction pipeline for EMIR, the Near-IR multi-object spectrograph for GTC

(15) Amelia Bayo Dust settling: the luminosity function gap at M7-M8

(16) Ashley Expy Origin of the particles of the Zodiacal cloud

(17) Audra K. Hernandez H-band spectral classification of intermediate-type stars

(18) Benjamin Montesinos Metal abundances of stars with protoplanetary disks

Scientific Program — Poster Presentations

(19) Bruno Ferreira Probing the structure of nearby embedded clusters

(20) Curtis DeWitt Simulating the Doppler velocity precision of high resolution near infrared spectrographs

(21) Cynthia Gomez Martin Low-mass stars and Brown dwarfs in NGC1333

(22) Herve Bouy VLT/VISIR mid-IR observations of Brown dwarfs, future prospects with GTC/Canaricam

(23) James De Buizer New results from observations of massive star formation in th emid-infrared with the large aperture telescopes

(24) Julian van Eyken New results from the multi-object Keck Exoplanet Tracker

(25) Justin Crepp High-contrast imaging with the Hale 200” telescope at Palomar

(26) Margaret Moerchen Self-regulation of agonist activity at the Y receptors

(27) Mari Cruz Galvez High resolution spectroscopy of planet bearing stars

(28) Naibi Marinas High-resolution mid-IR imaging of herbig Ae/Be stars: morphology of the circumstellar dust

(29) Noah Rashking FLAMINGOS spectroscopy of low mass stars and Brown dwarfs in Orion

(30) Nuria Huelamo Differential imaging adaptive optics observations of the protostar Elias 2-29

(31) Thomas J. J. Kehoe Stochastic collisional events in debris disks: what can be learned from the Zodiacal cloud?

(32) David Martinez-Delgado Tracing tidal streams with GTC: testing the hierarchical formation of the Milky Way

(33) Jordi Cepa The OTELO project: stellar component in the Groth field

(34) Miriam Garcia Garcia VLT spectroscopy of massive stars in NGC5

(35) Norberto Castro Rodriguez VLT spectroscopy of massive stars in NGC5

(36) R. Scott Fisher Studying the wake of the galactic center source IRS8

(37) Susana Iglesias-Groth Searching with GTC for the carrier of the Anomalous Microwave Emission

(38) Valerie Mikles First infrared spectroscopic identification of a chandra low-luminosity X-ray source in the galactic center

(39) Aaron Grocholski Calcium II triplet abundances for a sample of LMC clusters

(40) Eric Perlman The mid-infrared emission of M87

(41) Igor Drozdovsky The stellar structures around disk galaxies

(42) Igor Drozdovsky Studying Galaxy Formation and Evolution from the Local Group galaxies

(43) James Radomski High resolution mid-infrared imaging of seyfert nuclei: current results and the future with CanariCam on the GTC

(44) Justin J. Schaefer Results of high-spacial resolution mid-IR imaging of NGC7172: and the discussion and application of results from the development of mid-IR data

(45) Lauren Davis Galaxy cluster assembly at z~0.37

(46) Michael Barker The stellar populations of M33’s outer regions

(47) Nancy A. Levenson Measuring the inhomogeneous obscuration of AGN with mid-infrared observations

(48) Rachel Mason Mid-IR studies of nearby AGN at high spatial resolution

(49) Stuart Young Spatially-resolved mid-infrared spectroscopy of IC 5063

(50) Alison Klesman Optical variability of infrared power law-selected galaxies & x-ray sources in the GOODS south field

(51) Carlos Hoyos Stellar populations in luminous compact blue galaxies

(52) Carlos Lopez Merger fraction in Groth strip

(53) David Abreu Ks band-selected galaxy catalog 0<z<5

(54) Fred Hamann SMBH-host galaxy evolution at high redshifts


(55) Guillermo Barro Calvo The object selection for the GOYA survey

(56) Itziar Aretxaga GTC follow-up of AzTEC sources: probing high-z dusty starbursts

(57) Jordi Cepa The OTELO project

(58) Jordi Cepa The OTELO project: deep x-ray and optical observations of the Groth strip

(59) Leah Simon A survey of quasars and their host galaxies at high redshift

(60) Lilian Dominguez Palmero Bulge colors of intermediate redshift galaxies

(61) Mercedes Prieto GOYA survey: U, B and K galaxy number counts

(62) Paola Rodriguez Hidalgo High velocity outflows in quasars

(63) Vicki Sarajedini Active galactic nuclei surveys with the GTC

(64) Victor Villar Pascual Multiwavelength analysis of Ha selected galaxies at z=0.8

(65) Juanma Martin-Fleitas Elmer Imaging: Characterization and Performance results from the Pre-shipping Acceptance Tests

(66) Juanma Martin-Fleitas Elmer Spectroscopy: Characterization and Performance results from the Pre-shipping Acceptance Tests



Abstracts

Oral Presentations

20

Invited Talk

THE GTC: GETTING READY FOR FIRST LIGHT

Jose M. Rodríguez Espinosa; Pedro AlvarezInstituto de Astrofisica de Canarias

The Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), with its 10.4m aperture, will be the largest telescope of its class once it is finished. The GTC is now being completed in the island of La Palma, Spain. Currently the main activity is finishing the fine tune of the servos of the main axes drives. The Nasmyth instrument rotators will be installed in May and by June we hope to start with the tests of the GTC control software. These tests will be lengthy, but hope-fully by the end of the summer we will be able to start installing optics on the telescope. This will be done once we can make sure that the control software is performing adequately and it is safe to start putting optics on the telescope.

First light is therefore expected for November, with six primary mirror segments. Immediately after first light we will start com-missioning the Acquisition & Guiding Boxes (A&G), then with the Commissioning Camera we will start monotonically improv-ing the image quality of the optics, in an iterative process that will lead to the quasi-simultaneous commissioning of the tele-scope optics, A&G boxes, and control software. The primary mirror, as the commissioning progresses, will be populated with an increasing number of segments, so that in about six months from First Light the mirror is complete with 36 segments. In about four months from first light we should be able to install the first science instrument, and proceed with the commissioning of this instrument plus the remaining tasks of the telescopes optics. Eight months from First Light the second science instrument will be brought to the telescope, and commissioning will proceed with the entire system, which means the telescope plus these two science instruments.

It is planned that one year after First Light we will commence Science Operation. In my talk I will show the current status of the GTC and the plans for preparing and reaching both First Light and Science Operation. Finally, I will make a brief summary of the GTC science instruments highlighting its main features.

NOTES:

Invited Talk

CANARICAM: MID-IR ASTRONOMY AT THE FRONTIER

Charles Telesco; Chris PackhamUniversity of Florida

CanariCam, the GTC Day-One facility mid-IR camera, will be the most sensitive mid-IR imager in the world. CanariCam, which is nearly completed in the lab at the University of Florida, will pro-vide an extremely versatile tool to address a very broad range of challenging forefront astronomical problems. CanariCam’s multi-mode capabilities include direct imaging, coronagraphy, slit spectroscopy, and polarimetry. In this talk, after briefly de-scribing the status of CanariCam, I will highlight some of the key science areas for which each of its operational modes will be an especially incisive and informative probe.

NOTES:

ELMER PERFORMANCE: RESULTS FROM LABORATORY TESTS

García-Vargas, M.L.; Martin-Fleitas, J.M; Rodríguez-Espinosa, J.M.; Cabrera, A.; Kohley, R.; Hammersley, P.; Sánchez-Blanco, E.; Maldonado, M; Vilela, R.Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

Elmer has been exhaustively tested at laboratory and it is ready for being shipped to the ORM as soon as the GTC will be ready. The observing modes are: Imaging, Long Slit and Mask-multi-object Spectroscopy, Slit-less multi-object spectroscopy, Fast Photometry and Fast short-slit spectroscopy. The pupil elements are composed by a full set of conventional broad band and nar-row band filters as well as a set of prisms, grisms and VPHs, that allow resolving powers of 200, 1000 and 2500 between 365 and 1000nm. We have exhaustively tested the instrument at labora-tory and each of the observing modes has been fully character-ized. Its high throughput and excellent image quality in combi-nation with the GTC guarantee a powerful scientific return. This talk will summarize the performance results of the acceptance tests for Imaging, Spectroscopy and Fast Modes.

NOTES:

OSIRIS ASSEMBLY AND INTEGRATION

Miguel Sánchez-Portal; Ana M. Pérez-García; Mirjana Povic; Jor-di Cepa; Emilio Alfaro; Ángel Bongiovanni; Héctor Castañeda; Jesús Gallego; Ignacio González-Serrano; J. Jesús González-GonzálezInstituto Astrofísica Canarias

OSIRIS (Optical System for Imaging and low Resolution Integrated Spectroscopy) is the optical Day One instrument for the GTC. OSIRIS will cover the 365 to 1000 nm spectral range, featuring an 8.4 arcmin field of view, and capabilities for direct imaging, both long slit and multiple object spectroscopy, and fast spectrophotometry. The combi-nation of the OSIRIS wide field, tunable filters plus charge shuffling array detectors, will constitute the most powerful instrument for study-ing faint emission-line sources at any redshift. The present contribu-tion gives an overview of the instrument development, currently in its assembly and integration phase before commissioning.

21

NOTES:

CANARICAM: STATUS AND SCIENCE PROSPECTS

Packham, C.; Telesco, C.M.University of Florida

CanariCam is approaching acceptance testing in the laboratory at the UF. We briefly outline the capabilities and status of Canar-iCam. Possible science projects with CanariCam are illustrated through presentation of observations of AGN taken from T-ReCS and Michelle.

NOTES:

Invited Talk

INFRARED AND STAR FORMATION PROPERTIES OF LOCAL LUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES

Artemio HerreroIAC

Recent ISO and Spitzer cosmological surveys have shown that the majority of IR-selected galaxies at z<1 are in the luminous IR galaxy (LIRG, infrared [8-1000 micron] luminosities of log L_IR= 11-11.9 Lsun) class, and that LIRGs make a significant contribu-tion to the galaxy population at z>1. We use HST/NICMOS (1-1.9 micron continuum and Pa-alpha), Gemini/T-ReCS (8 and 10 micron), and Spitzer (8 and 24 micron) observations to study the IR and star-formation properties of a representative sample of local (distances of 35 to 75 Mpc) LIRGs.

The NICMOS and T-ReCS imaging data provide spatial reso-lutions of 25-100 pc and cover the central 3.3-7.1 kpc regions of these galaxies. The most IR luminous LIRGs in our sample contain a sizeable population of HII regions with H-alpha lumi-nosities comparable to that of 30 Doradus, with about half of the sample containing HII regions significantly brighter than those observed in normal galaxies. These luminous HII regions are also bright mid-IR emitters, as demonstrated by the impressive correspondence between the NICMOS Pa-alpha (HII emission) and the T-ReCS mid-IR (hot dust+PAH emission) morphologies.

There is a linear empirical relationship between the mid-IR 24 micron and hydrogen recombination (extinction-corrected Pa-alpha) luminosity with very small scatter for our sample of moderately dust-embedded (Av ~ 2-6 mag over the Pa-alpha emitting regions) LIRGs, and HII regions in the central regions of M51. This relation holds over more than four decades in lu-

minosity suggesting that the mid-IR emission is a good tracer of the star formation rate (SFR). Analogous to the widely used relation between the SFR and total IR luminosity of Kennicutt (1998), we derive an empirical calibration of the SFR in terms of the monochromatic 24 micron luminosity that can be used for (high-z) luminous, dusty galaxies. We also investigate the 8 micron vs. Pa-alpha luminosity relation for the nuclei, individual HII regions, and integrated emission of our sample of LIRGs, and compare it with that found by Calzetti et al. (2005) for the central M51 HII knots.

NOTES:

EMIR, THE GTC NIR IMAGER SPECTROGRAPH

Francisco Garzón; David Abreu; Sonia Barrera; Santiago Becer-ril; Luz Marina Cairós; José J. Díaz; Ana Fragoso; Fernando Gago; Pablo López; Jesús Patrón; Jaime Pérez; José Luis Rasilla; Pablo Redondo; René Restrepo; Pablo Saavedra; Vicente Sán-chez; Fabio Tenegi; Marc VallbéInstituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

EMIR, currently entering into its fabrication and AIV phase, will be one of the first common user instruments for the GTC, the 10 meter telescope under construction by GRANTECAN at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Canary Islands, Spain). EMIR is being built by a Consortium of Spanish and French in-stitutes led by the IAC. EMIR is designed to realize one of the central goals of 10m class telescopes, allowing observers to ob-tain spectra for large numbers of faint sources in an time-efficient manner. EMIR is primarily designed to be operated as a MOS in the K band, but offers a wide range of observing modes, includ-ing imaging and spectroscopy, both long slit and multiobject, in the wavelength range 0.9 to 2.5 μm. It is equipped with two in-novative subsystems: a robotic reconfigurable multislit mask and disperssive elements formed by the combination of high quality diffraction grating and conventional prisms, both at the heart of the instrument. The present status of development, expected performances, schedule and plans for scientific exploitation are described and discussed. The development and fabrication of EMIR is funded by GRANTECAN and the Plan Nacional de As-tronomía y Astrofísica (National Plan for Astronomy and Astro-physics, Spain).

NOTES:

22

FRIDA: THE SCIENCE INSTRUMENT FOR THE ADAPTIVE OP-TICS SYSTEM OF GTC

Alberto LopezUNAM

This contribution presents the current stage of design for FRIDA, the infrared imager and integral field spectrograph that will op-erate with the adaptive optics system of GTC. The capabilities of FRIDA will include diffraction limited imaging in broad and nar-row band filters with relatively large field of views and integral field spectroscopy with resolutions R~ 1000 -- 30,000. FRIDA is a collaborative project among the main GTC partners, namely, Spain, Florida and Mexico.

NOTES:

CIRCE: THE CANARIAS INFRARED CAMERA EXPERIMENT

Edwards, M.L.; Eikenberry, S.S.; Marin-Franch, A.; Charcos-Llorens, M; Rodgers, M.; Julian, J.; Raines, S.; Packham, C. University of Florida

We report on the design status of the Canarias InfraRed Cam-era Experiment (CIRCE), a near-infrared visitor instrument for the 10.4-meter Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). Besides func-tioning as a 1-2.5 micron imager, CIRCE will have the capacity for narrow-band imaging, low- and moderate- resolution grism spectroscopy, and imaging polarimetry. Other design features include fully cryogenic filter, slit, and grism wheels, high-speed photometry modes, and broad-band imaging in J, H, and Ks fil-ters. We anticipate that a myriad of scientific projects will benefit from CIRCE’s unique combination of capabilities.

NOTES:

Invited TalkGonzález, Jesús Institute for Astronomy

To be confirmed.

NOTES:

HOW TO OBSERVE WITH GTC

Charo VillamarizGrantecan S.A.

I will present the details about how to proceed if you want to ob-serve with GTC. Special attention will be devoted to our Phase II tool, the software that will allow GTC users to produce their observing programmes.

NOTES:

THE GCS DATA PROCESSING KIT

Antonio Luis Cabrera Lavers; César Enrique García DabóGrantecan S.A.

As part of the GTC Control System (GCS) a data processing package is being developed. We will describe the performance of the Data Processing Kit (DPK), using real data obtained dur-ing the preliminary tests made prior to the commissioning of the GTC (both with a Refractor and the Acquisition and Guiding Cameras). Some examples of the versatility of this pipeline will be shown. Comparisons with Data Reduction Packages that are more commonly used (e.g., those IRAF-based) have been made to show the DPK performance.

NOTES:

NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR POLARIMETRY WITH CANARI-CAM

J.H. Hough; D.K. Aitken University of Hertfordshire

The combination of a 10-m class telescope and dual-beam po-larimetry promises to give very large gains in performance open-ing up many scientific opportunities. Imaging polarimetry will provide structures of magnetic fields at spatial resolutions that will not be available until ALMA and spectropolarimetry can provide detailed information on the nature of dust grains in a variety of environments ranging from circumstellar disks to the tori around AGN.

NOTES:

23

Invited Talk

AN ALL SKY EXTRASOLAR PLANET SURVEY WITH NEW GENERATION: MULTIPLE OBJECT DOPPLER INSTRUMENTS

Jian GeUniversity of Florida

The All Sky Extrasolar Planet Survey is to monitor ~ 1 million nearby bright stars (V=8-13) for detecting tens of thousands of extrasolar planets between 2006-2020 using the new genera-tion multiple object Dispersed Fixed-delay Interferometer Dop-pler instruments at the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) 2.5-m telescope. Follow-ups with single object Doppler instruments at other telescopes can potentially increase the total number of de-tected planets by more than a factor of two. The initial results (in-cluding planet detection) from an on-going planet survey at the Kitt Peak 0.9-m Coude feed/2.1-m telescopes using a single ob-ject new generation high throughput Doppler instrument called Exoplanet Tracker will be presented. The early scientific results from the first full-scale multiple object Doppler instrument at the SDSS telescope called the W.M. Keck Exoplanet Tracker with 60 object capability will also be presented.

NOTES:

THE LANBDA ORIONOS STAR FORMING REGION: THE SPITzER PERSPECTIVE

D. Barrado y Navascués; M. Morales Calderón; J.R. StaufferLAEFF-INTA

The Head of Orion is a complex star forming region which in-cludes a young open cluster (Collinder 69, about 5 Myr), two dark clouds (Barnard 30 and Barnard 35, with younger popula-tions) and another younger areas (LDN 1588 and LDN1603). We have observed one square degree in each of these regions in order to study the stellar and substellar population. These data have been complemented with optical and near infrared pho-tometry and spectroscopy. Among the properties we have ana-lyzed are the Initial Mass Function for each association, circum-stellar disks and their properties, and the fraction of members with disks, and tried to explain all these properties in the context of the differences in the local environment and the evolution

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BROWN DWARF CANDIDATES READY FOR GTC FOLLOW-UP

Eduardo Martin IAC

I will present an overview of ongoing searches for brown dwarfs in clusters, the field and star-forming regions, and I will summa-rize what GTC can do to follow-up on them to characterize their basic properties.

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A SENSITIVE SEARCH FOR VARIABILITY IN LATE L DWARFS

M. Morales-Calderon; J.R. Stauffer; J.D. Kirkpatrick; S. Carey; C.R. Gelino; D. Barrado y Navascues; L.Rebull; P. Lowrance; M. Marley; D. Charbonneau; B. Patten; K.Luhman; S.T. Mageath;D.BuzasiLAEFF-INTA

We have conducted a photometric monitoring program of 3 late-L brown dwarfs looking for a signal of changes in their atmo-spheres. The observations were performed using IRAC/SPITzER 4.5 μm and 8 μm bandpasses with observations that lasted for at least one rotational period of the object. One sigma rms-un-certainties of less than 3 mmag at 4.5 μm and, around 9 mmag at 8 μm.

Two, out of the three objects studied exhibit some rotational modulation in their light curves at 4.5 μm with periods of 7.4 hr and 4.6 hr and peak-to-peak amplitudes of 10 mmag and 8 mmag. However, the feature is not confirmed by the 8 μm data. Among the IRAC bandpasses, the shorter wavelengths probe most deeply into late L dwarf atmospheres than the lon-ger wavelengths, generally above the region models predict is occupied by the clouds. However, there are some instrumental effects that could affect the photometry at 4.5 μm and thus, we cannot confirm the variability to be real. If we assume that the two objects are variable, the size of the feature would be a small percentage of the visible hemisphere. If instead, the variability shown by our targets has an instrumental origin, our non-vari-able L dwarfs could be either completely covered with clouds or objects whose clouds are smaller and uniformly distributed along its atmosphere. Such scenarios would lead to very small photometric variations.

The same technique used for the search of variability has been used in optical and NIR images of the cluster Collinder 69 (~5 Myr), in the Lambda Orionis Star Forming Region, looking for signs of deuterium pulsation. The good pixel sampling of Osiris would avoid some of the instrumental effects we found in the Spitzer data and, its fast photometry mode will provide very ac-curate and well sampled light curves for these sort of searches.

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Invited Talk

EMBEDDED CLSUTERS: LABORATORIES FOR UNDERSTAN-INDG STAR FORMATION

Elizabeth LadaUniversity of Florida

Results from near-infrared imaging surveys have suggested that most stars in our Galaxy form in embedded stellar clusters. Consequently, establishing the properties of young stars in such environments is essential to understanding the process of star formation, early stellar evolution and the overall likelihood of the existence of planetary systems in the Galaxy. In this talk, I will present some of the first results from our FLAMINGOS near-infrared imaging and spectroscopic surveys of nearby giant mo-lecular clouds and discuss their implications for cluster forma-tion and evolution, the low mass IMF and circumstellar disks.

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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF BLACK HOLE AND NEUTRON STAR COMPANIONS

R. Rebolo; J. González-Hernández; G. IsraelianIAC

Stars orbiting black holes and neutron stars offer unique op-portunities to understand the origin of compact objects. The secondaries may have been exposed to the supernova material ejected when the compact remnant was formed and current at-mospheric abundances may reveal key aspects of the formation process and the characteristics of the progenitors. We review work conducted on the chemical abundances of several second-aries of Low-mass X-ray binaries in the disk and halo our Galaxy, its implications and prospects to extend this research with GTC.

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LOCAL GROUP STELLAR POPULATIONS WITH THE GTC

Ata SarajediniUniversity of Florida

The Gran Telescopio Canarias promises to revolutionize the study of resolved stellar populations in Local Group galaxies. The combination of superior light gathering power via its large 10.4m aperture and a state-of-the-art instrument suite will make the GTC a powerful tool in unravelling the star formation and chemical enrichment histories of nearby galaxies. I will describe research projects that focus on the Local Group’s ‘other’ spiral galaxies - M31 and M33 - and how the GTC can help improve our understanding of these systems.

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SURFACE-BRIGHTNESS FLUCTUATIONS IN STELLAR POPU-LATIONS

Antonio Marin-Franch; Antonio AparicioUniversity of Florida

A new theoretical calibration of surface-brightness fluctuations (SBF) for single age, single metallicity stellar populations is pre-sented for the optical and near-IR broad-band filters, as well as for the HST WFPC2 and ACS filters. The IAC-star code is used. Two Padua and the Teramo stellar evolution libraries have been considered. A set of single-burst stellar populations (SSP) with a wide range of ages (3Gy-15Gy) and metallicities (z=0.0001-0.03) have been computed using each one of the three consid-ered stellar evolution libraries. For each SSP, color indexes and SBF magnitudes are given for the filters U, B, V, R, I, J, H, K, F218W, F336W, F439W, F450W, F555W and F814W, and for the first time, an uncertainty has been estimated for the SBF theo-retical calibration.

Although some differences might be addressed, the Padua and Teramo stellar evolution libraries provide comparable SBF re-sults. A detailed comparison of the present SBF calibrations with both previous calibrations and observational data is also pre-sented.

As a conclusion, Teramo based models work better than any other calibration reproducing observational data for the near-IR wavelengths. Furthermore, the age-metallicity degeneracy is broken for low metallicity (z<0.0037) stellar populations.

Finally, a clear relation between the B-band SBF absolute mag-nitude of a stellar population and its metallicity is found for in-termediate to old populations, so the B-band fluctuation magni-tude is proposed as a metallicity tracer. The present theoretical calibration shows that the analysis of SBF provides a very pow-erful tool in the study and characterization of unresolved stellar populations. It is also shown that the near-IR is the best choice to study SBF of unresolved stellar populations because it offers a higher resolution in age/metallicity studies of early type stellar populations, and the SBF signal of a stellar population is stronger in the near-IR. This, together with the high spatial resolution, limiting magnitude and image quality of CIRCE/GTC, makes this unique to study and characterize the age and metallicity of un-resolved early type stellar populations.

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25

DETERMINING THE NATURE OF THE FAINT X-RAY SOURCE POPULATION NEAR THE

Reba M. Bandyopadhyay; Andrew J. Gosling; Katherine M. Blundell; Stephen S. Eikenberry; Franz E. Bauer; Michael P. Muno; James C.A. Miller-Jones; Philipp PodsiadlowskiUniversity of Florida

We present first results of a multi-wavelength program to study the faint discrete X-ray source population discovered by Chan-dra in the Galactic Centre (GC). From IR imaging obtained with the VLT we identify candidate K-band counterparts to 75% of the X-ray sources in our sample. The near-IR magnitudes and colours of the majority of candidate counterparts are consistent with highly reddened stars, indicating that most of the Chandra sources are likely to be accreting binaries at or near the GC. Follow-up IR spectroscopy with the VLT of a subset of the can-didate counterparts provides further constraints on the nature of this recently discovered population. In addition, we present our discovery of highly structured small-scale (5-15”) extinction towards the Galactic Centre. This is the finest-scale extinction study of the Galactic Centre to date.

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Invited Talk

Emilio Alfaro

Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia

To be confirmed.

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EMIR SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY OF THE INNER GALAXY

P. Hammerley; F. Garzon; A. Cabrerea; M. Lopez- Corredoira; C. Gonzalez; T. MahoneyIAC

The latest infrared large scale surveys have opened up the struc-tures in the inner Galaxy. It is becoming increasingly clear that there is a bar but the form of the bar is still very controversial. The bulge is triaxial and this is often referred to as a bar, but there is also strong evidence for a second long bar are a distinct angle. Here we will briefly review the latest findings and show how the multi object spectroscopy of EMIR is ideal to extend this work by providing thousands of spectra along the rather than the few tens that are possible now.

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STAR FORMATION NEAR SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES

Jonathan C. TanUniversity of Florida

Supermassive black hole accretion and star formation appear to be intimately connected. I review the observational and theo-retical evidence for this statement. I then discuss how observa-tional and theoretical work focussed on two systems, our Ga-lactic Center and the nucleus of M87, can help to improve our understanding of these processes.

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BUILDING A VIRTUAL MILKY WAY

Elizabeth Tasker; Greg BryanColumbia/University of Flori da

Numerical simulations have rapidly progressed to becoming one of the most powerful accompaniments to observational as-tronomy. With them, we are able to model galaxies, planets and stars at every angle and see their evolution through time.

This piece of work describes the building of a virtual Milky Way galaxy using one of the latest hydrodynamics codes, Enzo. It is one of the most highly resolved simulations on a global scale and, in particular, produces a multiphase interstellar medium which, due to its complexity, it normally confined to small, non-star forming simulations. We study the formation of stars through gravitational instabilities in the galaxy disc and the effects of feedback from type II supernovae. We compare our results with observations of the star formation history, its surface density (Schmidt laws) and the star formation radial cut-off (Toomre Q parameter) in the disc. We also see a galactic fountain effect when we add feedback which throws matter off the disc’s sur-face before being drawn back down. .

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26

Invited Talk

Manuel PeimbertInsituto de Astronomia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico

To be confirmed.

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THE WARM INTERSTELLAR GAS IN STARBURSTS AND AGNS: A CLUE FOR THE STARBURST-AGN CONNECTION AND THE EVOLUTION OF GALAXIES

Rosa M. Gonzalez Delgado; Enrique Perez; Clive Tadhunter; Montserrat Villar-MartinInstituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia

Elucidating the relationship between intense star-formation and the AGN phenomenon is crucial to our understanding of the formation and evolution of galaxies and their SMBHs in the early universe. There have been many suggestions that starbursts play an important role in nearby AGNs. However, it is not known the role that starbursts play in more powerful distant AGNs.

The warm interstellar gas is a very useful tracer of the kinemat-ics, the metallicity and the star formation rate in galaxies. Fur-thermore, it is an excellent probe of the feedback processes tak-ing place in galaxies, in particular in AGNs and starbursts.

This contribution shows how deep imaging taken with OSIRIS tuned at the emission lines Lyalpha, Halpha, [OIII], etc, of AGNs (Seyferts, Radio Galaxies and QSOs) and starbursts will help to determine whether there is an ubiquitous link between star-for-mation and nuclear activity in powerful and distant AGNs.

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DEEP SPECTROSCOPY OF PLANETARY NEBULAE AND COM-PACT HII REGIONS IN NGC 3109 AND NGC 6822

M. Peña; M. Richer; G. Stasinska; L. HernandezUNAM

(What a very large telescope can do for understanding chemical evolution of galaxies)

NGC3109, Sextans A and B, form a small group of gas-rich dwarf irregular galaxies just beyond the Local Group. They are metal poor objects. NGC3109, in particular, seems to be similar to the SMC, in luminosity, chemical composition and other character-istics. From VLT “on ban- off band” imaging of the whole galaxy we have detected more than 15 PN candidates and many com-

pact HII regions. PN candidates have been selected as stellar ob-jects with no detectable stellar continuum. Further VLT-FORS1 multi-object spectroscopy, in the 3700-6800 A range has con-firmed the PN nature of several candidates. For several of them , the [OIII] 4363 line was detected, allowing thus a trustworthy determination of chemical abundances. Most of the PNe appear as low excitation nebulae. For about 8 HII regions, [OIII] 4363 was also detected and their chemical composition determined. A comparative analysis of the chemistry in both type of objects are being performed. A similar analysis is being carried out for PNe and HII regions in the dIrr NGC 6822. The characteristics of this galaxy make it similar to the LMC. This time, the data were acquired with the GEMINI South multi-object spectrograph. Our long term purpose is to analyze the chemical composition of the different populations in both galaxies and to study the star for-mation history and the chemical evolution of these objects so similar to the Magellanic Clouds.

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Invited Talk

INFRARED AND STAR FORMATION PROPERTIES OF LOCAL LUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES

Almudena Alonso

DAMIR, IEM, CSIC

Recent ISO and Spitzer cosmological surveys have shown that the majority of IR-selected galaxies at z<1 are in the luminous IR galaxy (LIRG, infrared [8-1000micron] luminosities of log L_IR= 11-11.9Lsun) class, and that LIRGs make a significant contri-bution to the galaxy population at z>1. We use HST/NICMOS (1-1.9micron continuum and Pa-alpha), Gemini/T-ReCS (8 and 10micron), and Spitzer (8 and 24micron) observations to study the IR and star-formation properties of a representative sample of local (distances of 35 to 75Mpc) LIRGs. The NICMOS and T-ReCS imaging data provide spatial resolutions of 25-100pc and cover the central 3.3-7.1kpc regions of these galaxies. The most IR luminous LIRGs in our sample contain a sizeable population of HII regions with H-alpha luminosities comparable to that of 30 Doradus, with about half of the sample containing HII regions sig-nificantly brighter than those observed in normal galaxies. These luminous HII regions are also bright mid-IR emitters, as demon-strated by the impressive correspondence between the NICMOS Pa-alpha (HII emission) and the T-ReCS mid-IR (hot dust+PAH emission) morphologies. There is a linear empirical relationship between the mid-IR 24micron and hydrogen recombination (ex-tinction-corrected Pa-alpha) luminosity with very small scatter for our sample of moderately dust-embedded (A_V ~ 2-6mag over the Pa-alpha emitting regions) LIRGs, and HII regions in the central regions of M51. This relation holds over more than four decades in luminosity suggesting that the mid-IR emission is a good tracer of the star formation rate (SFR). Analogous to the widely used relation between the SFR and total IR luminosity of Kennicutt (1998), we derive an empirical calibration of the SFR in terms of the monochromatic 24micron luminosity that can be used for (high-z) luminous, dusty galaxies. We also investigate

27

the 8micron vs. Pa-alpha luminosity relation for the nuclei, in-dividual HII regions, and integrated emission of our sample of LIRGs, and compare it with that found by Calzetti et al. (2005) for the central M51 HII knots.

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T-RECS MID-INFRARED OBSERVATIONS OF LOCAL LIRGS

T. Díaz-Santos; A. Alonso-Herrero; L. Colina; C. Packham; J. T. Radomski; C. M. TelescoCSIC

We have obtained Gemini/T-ReCS mid-infrared (MIR) N-band (10.36μm) and Si-2 narrow-band (8.74μm) imaging, as well as low-resolution (R~68) spectroscopy of 3 galaxies drawn from a volume-limited sample of local Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs; 1011 < L_IR [8-1000μm] < 1012~LO). This sample has also been observed with HST/NICMOS in both continuum light (1-1.9μm) and the Pa (lrest} = 1.876μm) emission line. The high spatial resolution achieved by T-ReCS (0.35’’ ~50-100, pc for our sample), close to the diffraction limit, allows us to get in-sights into the dusty physical processes taking place in the nu-clear regions of these galaxies. The MIR and Pa emissions show an almost perfect match in the structure and size of the HII re-gions and nuclear emission of LIRGs. This agreement is not only qualitative but also quantitative. There exists a good correlation between the mid-IR and the extinction-corrected Pa luminosities for individual regions of LIRGs. We also compare these luminosi-ties with those of the HII regions in the central region of M51. We use the spectroscopic features present in the T-ReCS spec-troscopic range (i.e., the 11.3μm PAH emission, the 9.7μm Si absorption feature, and the [SIV10.5μm emission line) to assess the importance of star-formation and deeply embedded AGN emission in the central regions (100-200 pc) of local LIRGs. We will conduct a similar study with CanariCam on the GTC for the northern hemisphere LIRGs in this sample.

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Invited Talk

OBSERVATIONS OF AGN WITH 8-10-M TELESCOPES

Meg UrryYale University

Large telescopes are essential to answering key questions in AGN research. Determining the demographics of black holes requires spectroscopic redshifts of faint objects, including obscured AGN, from deep surveys. Imaging and spectroscopic studies of the

host galaxies of AGN shows their properties are indistinguish-able from normal, inactive galaxies, supporting the “grand uni-fication” hypothesis that active accretion is a normal phase of galaxy evolution. Estimates of black hole masses in AGN can be done, with varying degrees of accuracy, using broad emission lines (properly calibrated), reverberation mapping, and/or mea-surements of stellar velocity dispersions in the host galaxies; ex-tending these estimates beyond the local Universe requires large telescopes. These and other key probes of AGN will be discussed and illustrated.

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3D SPECTROSCOPY OF LUMINOUS BLUE COMPACT GALAX-IES

Jorge Pérez Gallego; Rafael GuzmánUniversity of Florida

Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies (LCBGs) are high surface brightness galaxies, bluer than a typical SBc and birghter than 0.25L*, which are undergoing a major burst of star formation. LCBGs are the closest counterpart of the numerous population of starburst galaxies at intermediate and high redshift, including Lyman-break galaxies at z~2. We have selected a representa-tive sample of 24 LCBGs from the SDSS survey which, although small, provides an excellent reference for characterizing LCBGs as a class and comparison with current and future surveys of similar starbursts at higher redshift. We are carrying out a 3D op-tical spectroscopic study of this LCBG sample as part of an ambi-tious multiwavelenth program which goes from FUV (GALEX) to cm (VLA). 3D spectroscopy provides spatially resolved maps of kinematics, extinction, SFR and metallicity, in order to char-acterize their star formation history and mass assembly, and the role of mergers and supernova galactic winds. We present re-sults from data taken at the 3.5-m telescope with PPAK in CAHA and at the WIYN with DENSEPAK in KPNO. We use these data to simulate integrated rest-frame optical spectra of high redshift starburst galaxies using the new generation of IR multi-object spectrographs, such as EMIR at the GTC.

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VLT/SINFONI SPECTROSCOPY OF NEARBY GALAXIES

Juha ReunanenUniversity of Leiden

We present the results of near-IR integral field spectroscopy of nearby galaxies obtained with Adaptive Optics assisted SINFONI on VLT. The available data shows a complex nuclear environ-

28

ment with channels of cool molecular hydrogen and star form-ing clusters. The velocity fields of the most prominent emission lines are significantly different from each other, indicating that the they arise from spatially separate regions. We discuss the ex-citation of emission lines, especially molecular hydrogen.

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FABER-JACKSON RELATION FOR DE/DS0 GALAXIES

Ana Matkovic; Rafael GuzmanUniversity of Florida

We present spectroscopic observations of ~70 early-type galax-ies in the core of the Coma cluster. Our sample includes ~40 dwarf galaxies (dE/dS0) for which we measured velocity disper-sion and line strength indices. We confirm that the Faber-Jack-son relation holds for the luminous early-type galaxies. However, lower luminosity early-type galaxies follow a different relation: L a s2. We show that rotation cannot be responsible for this change of slope.

Through diagnostic diagrams we examine index--velocity disper-sion relations which we are able to extend all the way to log s ~ 30 km/s. We also derive ages, metallicities and [a/Fe] ratios for this sample of galaxies. We find follow-up studies with ELMER and/or OSIRIS on GTC of particular interest as these instruments would be able to provide observations of the Ca II triplet line for these galaxies.

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X-RAY SOURCE ENVIRONMENTS IN THE DWARF STARBURST GALAXY NGC1569

D.M. Clark; S.S. Eikenberry; S.N. RainesUniversity of Florida

We use deep J and Ks observations of the dwarf starburst gal-axy NGC1569 acquired with FLAMINGOS on the KPNO-4m together with Chandra X-ray coordinates to make an IR/X-ray astrometric frame-tie. Once this frame-tie is in place we search for IR cluster counterparts to X-ray sources. Measuring J and Ks photometry on all clusters in NGC1569, we investigate the pho-tometric properties of the IR counterparts by comparing clusters with X-ray sources to the general population. Our analysis in-cludes a comparison with results found in a similar study per-formed on the Antennae galaxies (NGC4038/9).

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Invited Talk

THE FLAMINGOS-2 EARLY SCIENCE SURVEYS & THE GTC

Stephen S. EikenbarryUniversity of Florida

Upon commissioning on Gemini-South in late 2006, FLAMIN-GOS-2 (F2) will be the most powerful wide-field near-infrared imager and multi-object spectrograph designed for use on 8-m-class telescopes. In order to take best advantage of the strengths of F2 early in its life cycle, the instrument team has proposed to use 21 nights of Gemini guaranteed time in 3 surveys - the FLAMINGOS-2 Early Science Surveys (F2ESS). The F2ESS will encompass 3 corresponding scientific themes - the Galactic Cen-ter, extragalactic astronomy, and star formation. The extragalac-tic survey plays an important role in the planning of EMIR/GTC observations for the GOYA program, and the Galactic Center survey is a precursor for key planned scientific observations with FRIDA/GTCAO. I will review the status of F2, the F2ESS surveys, and their impact on GTC science.

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OBSCURED AND UNOBSCURED GROWTH OF SUPERMAS-SIVE BLACK HOLES

X. Barcons; F.J. CarreraCSIC-UC

The supermassive black holes that are seen to reside in virtu-ally the centres of all galaxies in the local Universe have most likely formed from small seeds (~10, MO) at high redshift (z>10). Although mergers and tidal capture of stars can also be ingredi-ents, most of the growth from those seeds to the masses that we see today (millions to billions of MO) has occurred via accretion. X-rays are copiously produced through all accretion phases and therefore X-ray observations are the key tracers of the growth of these black holes. X-ray surveys conducted with Chandra and XMM-Newton (and with XEUS and Con-X in the future) reveal that an important fraction of the accretion occurs in obscured objects - type 2 Seyferts and type 2 QSOs, besides in the classical type 1 Seyfert and QSO unobscured sources.

In this presentation I will report on the current status of the XMM-Newton Medium sensitivity Survey (XMS), where we have identified the sources responsible for about the brightest half of the accretion history in the Universe, as reflected in the Cosmic

29

X-ray Background. The sample outnumbers, in some cases by a large amount, previous surveys with this or other instruments. Unobscured objects (type 1 AGN) still dominate at these flux-es, but an increasingly large fraction of obscured (type 2 AGN) sources appear at fainter fluxes. The X-ray to Optical flux ratio FX/Fopt appears to be a good (but not perfect) discriminant between obscured (large FX/Fopt) and unobscured (small FX/Fopt) objects. Indeed, identifying spectroscopically obscured objects, even at intermediate X-ray fluxes, requires 8-10m class telescopes. FX/Fopt

The tendency of X-ray sources becoming redder at fainter fluxes, means that efficient infrared multi-object spectroscopy (as will be provided by EMIR on GTC) will provide a major leap forward in the characterisation of the fainter half of the accretion history. Some prospects for this will be discussed.

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SPATIALLY-RESOLVED MID-IR SPECROSCOPY OF NEARBY GALAXY NUCLEI

Patrick RocheOxford University

High spatial resolution observations of a small sample of nearby galaxies with heavily obscured nuclei have been obtained with TReCS on Gemini-South. Extended emission is detected in sev-eral of the galaxies with variations in the ionisation state of the gas and the column of cool dust grains on sub-arcsecond scales revealed by N-band spectroscopy. The results will be discussed in terms of the distribution and properties of circumnuclear dust.

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STIMULATIONS OF GTC-FRIDA OBSERVATIONS OF HIGH-REDSHIFT GALAXIES

Nicolas GruelUniversity of Florida

Some of the most exciting new instruments currently being built for the 10-meters class telescopes are near-infrared (NIR) Inte-gral Field Units (IFU) with Adapative Optics (AO), such as FRI-DA at the GTC. These NIR-IFUs will allow us to measure spatially resolved star formation maps, velocity maps, extinction maps and metallicity maps of starburst galaxies at high redshifts. These maps will provide the essential data to determine empirically the physics and timeline of galaxy assembly. Detailed simulations are needed to accurately transform the observed maps into the actual physical properties of the high redshift galaxy population. Here we present the results of very realistic simulations of obser-vations of starburst galaxies at various redshifts using FRIDA at the GTC and IRMOS at the TMT.

NOTES:

Invited TalkDavid KooUCO/Lick Observatory, University of California

To be confirmed.

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GALAXY EVOLUTION DURING THE EPOCH OF CLUSTER AS-SEMBLY

Anthony Gonzalez; S. Adam Stanford; M. Brodwin; P. R. Eisen-hardtUniversity of Florida

The redshift regime z=1-2 is a critical period in galaxy evolu-tion that provides key insight into both the star formation and mass assembly histories of the universe. While there has been dramatic recent progress in studies of field galaxies at this epoch, study of cluster galaxies has been limited due to a lack of known galaxy clusters at this epoch. In this talk I will present the latest results from an extensive multiwavelength program that aims to study cluster galaxy evolution at this epoch. Using the combina-tion of photometric redshifts and a new wavelet detection algo-rithm, we have generated the first statistical, well-defined sample of galaxy clusters extending to z~1.5. Our sample includes the highest redshift cluster in the literature and more spectroscopi-cally confirmed galaxy clusters at z>1 than any other catalog. These clusters provide the redshift baseline necessary to observe build-up of the red sequence, quantify the assembly history of massive cluster galaxies, and measure evolution of the star for-mation rate in the cluster environment. Towards these ends, we are currently the panchromatic data available for the full survey region with deep HST and Spitzer observations. Details of both the survey and follow-up effort will be presented.

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THE FORMATION EPOCH FOR ELLIPTIALS AND OTHER RED-SEQUENCE GALAXIES

Marc BalcellsIAC

The talk will present recent progress of the GOYA group in con-straining the formation epoch of elliptical galaxies based on opti-cal-NIR imaging.

Further progress about the formation epoch for early-type galax-ies rests on being able to map the continuum of z=1-2 galaxies. I will discuss the feasibility of such measurements and various possible strategies with GTC.

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LARGE SCALE ABSORBERS IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF HIGH-z RGS

Luc Binette; Erika Benitez; Montserrat Villar-Martín; Jose Anto-nio de Diego; Sinhue Haro CorzoUNAM

High Redshift Radio Galaxies (HzRGs) are the progenitors of massive central cluster galaxies. Their study can provide impor-tant insights into the early formation of the most massive bound structures. Our group is particularly interested in the environ-ment of HzRGs. Large scale absorbers have been found by Rott-gering and collaborators. These can be assimilated to enormous gas sheets that extend over tens of kiloparsecs. We recently submitted a paper that ascertain the ionization state of some of these sheets and their mass range. We studied the possibility that ionizing radiation from massive stars that leaked into the IGM might be at the origin of the ionization of the absorbers. We in-tend to observe these absorbers in more details using OSIRIS to map their HI distribution.

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Invited Talk

DOWNSIzING IN THE LOWEST MASS GALAXIES

Roberto Terlevich; Jesus Lopez; Elena TerlevichINAOE

The cosmic history of star-formation can be studied in more than one way. Directly, using the universe as a time-machine one ob-tains the “Madau-Lilly Diagram” by direct observation and anal-ysis of the integrated SFR as a function of distance or look-back

time. Alternatively, one can use the “fossil” model, analyzing the z ~ 0 universe as seen by SDSS and, from the numbers of stars of different ages and metallicities, extrapolate back to earlier times. Interestingly, both methods agree fairly well. A recent addition is the issue of the “downsizing” evolution of galaxies, were most massive galaxies evolve faster and on average are older than lower mass ones. I will present the results of a recent investiga-tion that using the “fossil” method on the SDSS spectral data extends the Mass vs Age relation to the lowest mass galaxies. We have also found that the older galaxies and more massive galax-ies tend to be the most metal rich ones.

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GALAXIES AT z>7: PROBING GALAXY FORMATION WITH NEW NIRMOS

R. Pello; J. Richard; D. Schaerer; J.F. Le Borgne; J.P. KneibObservatoire Midi-Pyrenees

We first present the results obtained from our deep survey of lensing clusters aimed at constraining the abundance of star-forming galaxies at z~6-11, taking benefit from lensing magnifi-cation to improve the search efficiency and subsequent spectro-scopic studies. Deep near-IR photometry of two lensing clusters was obtained with ISAAC/VLT. These images, combined with existing data in the optical bands, including HST images, were used to select very high redshift candidates at z>7 among the optical-dropouts. Photometric selection criteria have been de-fined based on the well proven dropout technique, specifically tuned to target star-forming galaxies in this redshift domain. The corresponding UV Luminosity Function (LF) and SFR density derived from these candidates seem compatible with the usual values derived at z~5-6, but higher than the estimates obtained in the NICMOS Ultra Deep Field (UDF), in particular towards the bright end of the LF. We discuss the implications of these results, as compared to model expectations, in terms of survey efficiency both in lensing and blank fields. We also summarize the present state of our ongoing spectroscopic survey in lensing fields, and the benefit expected with the new generation of NIR multi-object spectrographs (e.g. EMIR/GTC).

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CHEMICAL ENRICHMENT OF THE IGM/ISM IN THE DISTANT UNIVERSE

Hsiao-Wen ChenUniversity of Chicago

I will discuss the prospect of study the chemical content of the in-tergalactic and interstellar media at high redshift using afterglow echelle spectroscopy. Specifically, I will present a comprehen-sive analysis of the circumstellar medium around GRB050730 and GRB051111, based on metal absorption features identified in exquisite echelle spectra of optical afterglows. I will discuss constraints that can be made for the burst engine, as well as for the mass loss and chemical feedback during the final evolution stages of massive stars.

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GALAXY CLUSTERS, COSMOLOGY, AND MAGELLAN IN-STRUMENTATION

Mike GladdersUniversity of Chicago / Carnegie Observatories

The measurement of the cluster mass function with redshift, N(M,z), has been touted as one of a handful of promising meth-ods for measuring dark energy and its evolution with redshift. Unlike other methods, the use of clusters to study cosmology is intimately linked to our understanding of the growth of structure over cosmic time. This intimate linking of observables to baryon-ic physics makes the study of clusters both challenging and po-tentially informative. To meet this challenge we have designed several new instruments for the Magellan 6.5m Telescopes. The first, LDSS-3, is now in operation, and is the highest throughput multi-object spectrograph yet built. The second, the Gladders Image Slicing Multi-Slit Option for IMACS (GISMO), is being built now and will deploy in the latter half of 2006. GISMO, and addition to the wide-field IMACS spectrograph, allows for an order-of-magnitude increase in spatial sampling over a smallish (ACS-sized) field-of-view with excellent throughput, and unique-ly straddles the observational regime between standard multi-object spectrographs and IFUs. I will describe both instruments, and highlight their applications to galaxy cluster cosmology with several example observations drawn from the Red-Sequence Cluster Survey projects.

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Abstracts

Poster (P) Presentations

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P1

A HIGH RESOLUTION SCANNING FABRY-PEROT FOR OSIRIS

Abel Bernal; Margarita Rosado; Luis A. MartinezInstituto de Astronomia UNAM

Following the directives of the interferometric mode of OSIRIS, the Mexican team has got support to acquire a scanning Fabry-Perot for Osiris. In this talk we will try to define which Fabry-Pe-rot will be selected as well as which filters need to be acquired. We will also discuss about the acquisition software.

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P2

FRIDA MANAGEMENT PLAN

B. Sánchez; V. Bringas; S. Cuevas; J. J. Díaz; S. Eikenberry; C. Espejo; R. Flores; F. J. Fuentes; J. Gallego; F. Garzón; P. Ham-mersley; J.A. López; R. Pello; A. Prieto; A. WatsonIA-UNAM

FRIDA (inFRrared Imager and Dissector for the Adaptive op-tics system of the Gran Telescopio Canarias) is being designed as a diffraction limited instrument with broad and narrow band imaging and integral field spectroscopy capabilities to operate in the wavelength range 0.9 – 2.5 μm. FRIDA is a collaborative project between the main GTC partners, namely, Spain, México and Florida. The main aspects for the organization and de man-agement plan of this complex instrument are described in this contribution.

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P3

MANUFACTURING OF FRODOSPEC RED ARM OPTICS AND MOUNTS

Esperanza Carrasco1; Rosalia Langarica2; Carlos Perez; Gonzalo Paez3

1INAOE; 2IAUNAM; 3CIO

FRODOSpec is a multi-purpose integral field input spectrograph for the 2m robotic Liverpool telescope, located at the Observa-torio del Roque de Los Muchachos. FRODOSpec is a collab-orative project between Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Southampton. The manufacturing of the optics and lens mounts was assigned to INAOE. Here we describe the manufacturing and testing of the spectrograph red arm optics.

We present the design of the collimator and camera barrels that minimize thermal effects due to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient of the N-FK51 and KzFSN4 materials used in the optical design of the individual components. We include the tests carried out to verify the optical performance of the col-limator and camera as independent units.

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P4

EXPECTED OSIRIS EFFICIENCY

Francisco J. Cobos D.1; J. Jesús González G.1; José Luís Rasilla P.2

1Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM; 2Instituto de Astrofísica de Ca-narias

OSIRIS, the main optical (0.36-1.0 μm) 1st generation instrument for GTC is now in the final stages of the assembling process. All main optical components of OSIRIS are finished and are being characterized. This work summarizes the current estimation of the OSIRIS efficiency (throughput), basically a combination of empirical and expected data, prior to its actual commissioning characterization. This analysis is here presented to aid the GTC Astronomical Community in the preparation of science pro-grams, and to maintain the current OSIRIS exposure-time cal-culator up to date.

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P5

INSTRUMENT SUPPORT

Francisco ReyesUniversity of Florida

Instrument testing at the University of Florida.

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P6

FRIDA SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

F.J. Fuentes; V. Bringas; S. Cuevas; C. Espejo; R. Flores; A. López; B. Sánchez; A. WatsonInstituto de Astronomía – Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

FRIDA will be a common-user near infrared imager and integral field spectrograph covering the wavelength range from 0.9 to 2.5 microns.

FRIDA will be installed at the Nasmyth A platform behind the GTCAO system. It will use diffraction-limited optics to avoid de-grading the high Strehl ratios delivered by the GTCAO system in the near infrared.

The status of the FRIDA system design is presented. It describes the breakdown of the instrument into well defined and manage-able subsystems and the procedures to ensure the traceability of high level requirements into subsystem specifications, in a way that the whole instrument will comply with the required perfor-mance when it is finally assembled.

A general description of the FRIDA layout is also presented, as well as the instrument proposed configurations for the required operation modes.

General procedures are defined to perform the instrument engi-neering at system level.

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P7

OSIRIS CAMERA BARREL

Cobos, Francisco; Espejo, Carlos; Farah, Alejandro; Fuentes, Javier; González, Jesús; Ruiz, Élfego; Sánchez, Beatriz; Tejada, CarlosInstitute for Astronomy

The Camera Barrel in the OSIRIS imager/spectrograph for the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), is described in this article. The barrel design has been designed and tested by the Instituto de Astronomía of the University of Mexico (IAUNAM), in collabora-tion with the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Spain.

The Camera Barrel includes a set of nine lenses (three doublets and three singlets), with their respective supports and cells, as well as two subsystems: the Focusing Unit, which is a mechanism that modifies the first doublet relative position; and the Passive Displacement Unit (PDU), which uses the third doublet to main-tain the camera focal length and image quality when the ambi-ent temperature changes.

This article includes a brief description of the camera barrel; de-scribes the design criteria related with performance justification; summarizes the specifications related with misalignment errors and generated stresses; and the final results of the assembly, in-tegration and verification of the camera.

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P8

ELMER’S WEB PAGES

Corral, L.J.; García-Vargas, MGrantecan, S.A.

The web pages that will give the information of Elmer, the ‘emer-gency’ instrument of GTC, are presented. The instrument’s char-acteristics and throughput measures are based on the last instru-ment tests. Also the spectroscopic time calculator tool (ETC) is presented.

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P9

EXPLORING HIGH CONTRAST RESOLUTION IMAGING FOR FRIDA

Mamadou N’DiayeInstituto de Astronomia UNAM

We explore the possibility of introducing coronography with its elements in the optical scheme of FRIDA. Coronography aims at achieving a cancellation of a brilliant star to observe a faint object near to it. Here, the idea is to place a coronograph mask (Roddier phase mask or Lyot opaque mask) and a Gaussian apo-dization mask in the FRIDA’s planes, and find the best configu-ration that would permit us to achieve the best coronographic results. The study is done for two types of entrance pupil, hex-agonal or circular, in a monochromatic case, and without at-mospheric turbulences. We will see that with a good choice of configuration, we can achieve a diminution of the light star of a factor one million.

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P10

THE COMMISSIONING OF EMIR

Marc Vallbe; Luzma Cairos; Paco GarzonInstituto Astrofisico Canarias

Overview of the processes and stages for commissioning EMIR on the GTC.

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P11

GTC PHOTOMETRIC CALIBRATION

Di Césare M.A.; Hammersley P.L.; Rodriguez Espinosa J.M.Instituto De Astrofisica De Canarias

Two years ago we proposed a GTC calibration plan based on techniques similar to the ones used for space telescopes cali-bration. At that time, we explained how important is to have a catalogue with calibration fields suitable for this telescope. We showed the calibration strategy for GTC and their scientific in-struments (OSIRIS, ELMER, EMIR, FRIDA and ADQ. and GUID-ING BOXES) between 0.3 and 2.7 microns.

One of the most important things is to work with high precision because these objects are candidates to standard stars.

For that reason, we need to calculate star magnitudes with an error less than 0.01. It will be reached with an enought number of observations.

After 120 observation nights in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths, we will show the progress in the analysis of the data and the preparation of the catalogue. Although these fields will have to continue being observed we have began with the construction of stellar spectral patterns. This method gives the possibility to find the complete spectrum of the objects.

In this work we will present the selected fields, photometry and spectroscopy of their stars and the beginning of the spectral pat-terns construction.

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P12

FISICA: THE FLORIDA IMAGE SLICER FOR INFRARED AS-TROPHYSICS AND COSMOLOGY

S. N. Raines; S. S. Eikenberry; R. Guzman; N. Gruel; J. Julian; G. Boreman; J. Hoffman; M. Rodgers; P. Glenn; G. Hull-Allen; B. Myrick; S. Flint; L. ComstockUniversity of Florida

We report on the design, manufacture, and scientific perfor-mance of the Florida Image Slicer for Infrared Astrophysics and Cosmology (FISICA) - a fully cryogenic all-reflective image slic-ing integral field unit for the FLAMINGOS near-infrared spec-trograph. Originally conceived as a bench-top demonstration proof-of-concept instrument, after three productive engineering runs at the KPNO 4-m telescope (as of 15 Oct 2005) we find that FISICA is capable of delivering excellent scientific results. It now operates as a ‘turnkey’ instrument at the KPNO 4-m tele-scope. FISICA is now open for community access as a visitor instrument on the KPNO 4-m telescope via collaboration with the instrument team, who can assist with the proposal prepa-ration and observations, as well as provide the data reduction tools for integral field spectroscopy. We review the optical and opto-mechanical design, fabrication, laboratory test results, and on-telescope performance for FISICA.

Designed to accept input beams near f/15, FISICA with FLAMIN-GOS slices a 16x33 arcsec field of view into 22 parallel elements using three sets of monolithic powered mirror arrays, each with 22 mirrored surfaces cut into a single piece of aluminum. How-ever, slight vignetting for some field positions limits the effective field of view to 15x32 arcsec. The effective spatial sampling of 0.70 arcsec delivers 960 spatial resolution elements. Combined with the FLAMINGOS spectrograph, R~1300 spectroscopy over the 1-2.4 micron wavelength range is possible, in either the J+H combined bandpass or the H+K combined bandpass.

FISICA was funded by the UCF-UF Space Research Initiative; FLAMINGOS was designed and was constructed by the IR In-strumentation Group (PI: R. Elston) at the University of Florida, Department of Astronomy, with support from NSF grant AST97-31180 and Kitt Peak National Observatory.

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P13

FRIDA OPTICAL DESIGN

S. Cuevas; S.S. Eikenberry; J.A. López; B. Sánchez; A. Watson; J. Fuentes; C. Espejo; V. Bringas; R. Flores-Meza; J.J. Díaz; F. Garzón; P.L. Hammersley; J.M. Montoya; A. Prieto; R. Toral; R. EstradaInstituto de Astronomia UNAM

FRIDA performs as an Imager and a Spectrograph with an In-tegral Field Unit (IFU) on the same detector. The optical quality of the instrument shall be diffraction limited to exploit the cor-rected image provided by the GTC Adaptive Optics System (GT-CAO). In this presentation it is described the preliminary optical

37

design of FRIDA, including the Integral Field Unit. An analysis of the design performance is presented to demonstrate the compli-ance of the optical design with the input science requirements.

Remark to the SOC: Please place this talk after the Alberto Lopez talk about the Science with FRIDA and before the Javier Fuen-tes talk about the architecture of FRIDA.

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P14

DATA REDUCTION PIPELINE FOR EMIR, THE NEAR-IR MULTI-OBJECT SPECTROGRAPH FOR GTC

S. Pascual; J. Gallego; N. Cardiel; J. zamorano; F. J. Gorgas; C. E. Garcia-Dabo;A. Gil de Paz

Universidad Complutense de Madrid

EMIR is a near-infrared wide-field camera and multi-object spec-trograph being built for the GTC. The Data Reduction Pipeline, which is being designed and built by the EMIR Universidad Complutense de Madrid group, will be optimized for handling and reducing near-infrared data acquired with EMIR. Both re-duced data and associated error frames will be delivered to the end-users as a final product.

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P15

DUST SETTLING: THE LUMINOSITY FUNCTION GAP AT M7-M8

A. Bayo; D. Barrado y Navascués; F. AllardINTA

Dobbie et al. (2002) have found evidence for an apparent gap in the Luminosity Function at about M7-M8 spectral types (Teff ~2500 K). They suggested that this may be due to a drop in the mass-luminosity relationship caused by the onset of dust forma-tion in the atmosphere. We are investigating this issue by obtain-ing low- and medium-resolution IR spectra of M dwarfs at differ-ent ages (in ChaI, ~1 Myr; in L Orionis, ~5 Myr; in TW Hydrae Association, ~10 Myr; and in the field, a few Gyr). Our goal is threefold:(i) to establish the Teff when the dust starts to appear in the atmosphere, by comparing spectra within the same age,(ii) to disentangle the effect of gravity on the dust formation and settling, by comparing samples of different ages,(iii) to get spec-trophotometry for a wide sample of M dwarfs (M1 to L0) to test theoretical models. Here, we report on the status of our work.

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P16

ORIGIN OF THE PARTICLES OF THE zODIACAL CLOUD

Ashley Espy; Stan Dermott; Tom Kehoe University of Florida

How do planets affect a debris disk and, conversely, how does a debris disk affect the planets within it? These are questions we can begin to answer by studying the zodiacal cloud; the debris disk around our own Sun. The zodiacal cloud consists of a broad low-frequency background with superimposed high-frequency dust bands (Low et al., 1984), which result from specific asteroid disruptions (Dermott et al., 1985, Nesvorny et al., 2003). The background cloud has several asymmetries, including a warp, tilt and offset from the Sun, which result from planetary pertur-bations. These asymmetries have also been seen in the observa-tional signatures of debris disks around other stars. One of the main outstanding questions about the zodiacal cloud is what are the relative contributions of cometary and asteroidal particles. The key to unlocking the source of the cloud is the dust bands, since they are known to be asteroidal and associated with spe-cific asteroid families, in particular the young families, Veritas and Karin, which represent a relatively recent injection of dust to the cloud. Using the orbits of the dust band particles created in the breakup of an asteroid family, we can model the dust bands and determine the cross sectional area of material in the bands. By considering the dynamical and collisional evolution of these dust band particles, we will extend the model to consider the zodiacal cloud as a whole and investigate whether the dust band sources also dominate the background cloud. This model will be constrained by matching the asymmetries, via the shape and amplitude of the line of sight flux profiles of the model to the data from IRAS, COBE, MSX and Spitzer. If we can model the zodia-cal cloud, its dust bands, and its asymmetries using only the dust particle orbits created in the disruption of asteroid families, we will have a strong case for the cloud being largely asteroidal in nature. Knowing the source of the particles in the zodiacal cloud also has implications to debris disks around other stars and how they formed.

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P17

H-BAND SPECTRAL CLASSIFICATION OF INTERMEDIATE-TYPE STARS

Audra K. Hernandez; Elizabeth LadaUniversity of Florida

We present the first results of SYIC-ITS, a classification routine for A0-K7 type stars via prominent H-Band equivalent widths. SYIC-ITS was designed using optically known standards which are part of the large scale Near-Infrared Spectroscopic FLAMIN-GOS Survey to study the evolution and formation of stars within giant molecular clouds (GMCs). Using data from the KPNO 2.1m and 4m telescopes, we attempt to derive ages for three clusters in the Orion Complex; NGC 2024, NGC 2071, and NGC 2068. Our study accounts for ~65 stars with masses ranging from ~0.5-3.5 solar masses. To do this we combine these spectral types with JHK photometry, place them on the H-R diagram, and use pre-evolutionary models to derive ages. These ages are then compared with cluster ages found in an independent man-ner. If successful, this routine will aid in classify young star clus-ters unattainable in the optical due to being embedded in dusty GMCs.

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P18

METAL ABUNDANCES OF STARS WITH PROTOPLANETARY DISKS.

Benjamin Montesinos1; Carlos Eiroa2; Alcione Mora1

1Instituto de Astrof; 2Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain

The analysis of circumstellar disks and their evolution requires the knowledge of the ages -and other stellar parameters- of the associated stars. The determination of the stellar age is highly dependent on the metallicity, as we have previously proved (Merín et al. 2004). We present here results of an ongoing study of a sample of Herbig Ae/Be and Vega stars surrounded by disks. High resolution (R~ 50000) spectra are compared with synthetic Kurucz models to determine the metal abundances. In addition to these results, we describe the problems one faces when at-tempting to determine metal abundances in this kind of stars and how GTC will contribute to our knowledge of PMS stars with protoplanetary disks.

Merín, B., Montesinos, B., Eiroa, C. and EXPORT collaboration, 2004, A&A 419, 301

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P19

PROBING THE STRUCTURE OF NEARBY EMBEDDED CLUS-TERS

Bruno Ferreira; Elizabeth LadaUniversity of Florida,

We determine the stellar structure, the size, and other funda-mental cluster parameters for a catalog of 42 nearby embedded clusters.

By studying this large sample in a systematic way we seek to un-derstand stars at the earliest stage of star formation. We find and present the results - that several cluster parameters are tightly correlated with each other. These correlations give us important insights into the formation and evolution of stellar systems.

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P20

SIMULATING THE DOPPLER VELOCITY PRECISION OF HIGH RESOLUTION NEAR INFRARED SPECTROGRAPHS

Curtis DeWitt; Jian Ge; Suvrath MahadevanUniversity of Florida

Radial velocity searches for planets around low mass stars (SpT > M3) can potentially lead to the discovery of planets with a few earth masses in the habitable zone. Since these stars are optically dim, only a few hundred are available to current high resolution spectrographs. It seems obvious to attempt the search in the near infrared, where their SED’s peak. However, there are several obstacles to attaining good precision in the near infra-red, the most daunting of which is the treatment dense telluric absorption and emission, which will contaminate and shift the line centers of the stellar spectra. We present a study of the at-tainable precision that high resolution infrared spectroscopy will provide and compare several methods of calibrating out the sky spectrum, while preserving the doppler information of the star spectrum.

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P21

LOW-MASS STARS AND BROWN DWARFS IN NGC1333

Cynthia Gomez Martin; Elizabeth A. Lada; Aaron Steinhauer; Joanna LevineUniversity of Florida

We present results from a near-infrared spectroscopic study of candidate brown dwarfs and low mass stars in the young cluster NGC1333. Using FLAMINGOS on the KPNO 4m telescope, we have obtained spectra of ~ 170 new members of the cluster and classified them via the prominent J and H band magnesium, and water absorption features. The spectral types we derive range between ~M1 to M9.5 with typical classification errors of 0.5-1 subclasses. Combining these spectral types with JHK photom-etry, we are able to place the objects on the H-R diagram and use theoretical pre-main sequence evolutionary models to de-termine their masses and ages.

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P22

VLT/VISIR MID-IR OBSERVATIONS OF BROWN DWARFS, FU-TURE PROSPECTS WITH GTC/CANARICAM

H. Bouy; E.L. Martin; N. Huelamo; G. BasriInstituto Astrofísica Canarias; UC Berkeley

We present the results of our mid-IR observations of young brown dwarfs in the Upper Scorpius association. We obtain mid-IR im-ages of 10 brown dwarfs with VISIR at the VLT. Six objects are detected at relatively low levels (2 to 10 sigmas). Among these, 4 have been resolved as multiple systems with complementary adaptive optics images in the near-IR, but are not resolved in the VISIR images. We discuss the frequency of disks among USco BD and compare it to the frequency of accretors, and discuss this study and the future prospects in the context of the future GTC/Canaricam instrument and its greater sensitivity.

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P23

NEW RESULTS FROM OBSERVATIONS OF MASSIVE STAR FORMATION IN THE MID-INFRARED WITH LARGE APER-TURE TELESCOPES

James De Buizer Gemini Observatory

Recent observations in the mid-infrared (5-25 um) of massive young stellar sources have yielded a surprising result: many show evidence of mid-infrared emission from outflows and jets.

These observations correlate well with other larger-scale outflow indicators and their geometries, such as what is seen in shock-excited H2 and CO emission.

In some cases these mid-infrared observations identify the local maser emission as outflow or jet related. Thanks to the increase of facility-class mid-infrared imagers on large aperture telescopes (8-10m), we are achieving high resolutions in the mid-infrared (~0.25-0.60”) that allow us to see the detailed morphologies of the mid-infrared outflows around these young stellar sources. The mid-infrared emission seen from these sources is interpreted as arising from the directly heated dust on the walls of the out-flow cavity. Such a cavity is created by the molecular outflow or jet punching a hole in the dense clump of obscuring material surrounding the young stellar source. Such observations are im-portant because outflows from massive stars may demonstrate that they form by accretion processes similar to low mass stars.

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P24

NEW RESULTS FROM THE MULTI-OBJECT KECK EXOPLANET TRACKER

Julian van Eyken1; Jian Ge1; Xiaoke Wan1; Bo zhao1; Abishek Hariharan1; Suvrath Mahadevan1; Curtis DeWitt1; Pengcheng Guo1; Roger Cohen1; Scott W. Fleming1; D. McDavitt1; Justin Crepp1; French Leger2; Kaike Pan2

1University of Florida; 2APO

The Keck Exoplanet Tracker is a precision Doppler radial veloc-ity instrument based on a new technique which allows for multi-object observing for the first time. Currently being installed at the 2.5m Sloan telescope at Apache Point Observatory, the com-bination of Michelson interferometer and medium resolution spectrograph allows for simultaneous Doppler measurements of up to 56 targets, while maintaining high instrument throughput.

Using a single-object prototype of the instrument at the KPNO 2.1m telescope, we previously discovered a 0.49 MJup planet, HD 102195b (ET-1), orbiting with a 4.11 period. Other promising candidates are also being followed up. During recent first light observations with the Keck

Exoplanet Tracker we were able to successfully obtain 56 simul-taneous fringing stellar spectra on several different fields, of a quality sufficient to begin a survey for short period hot-Jupiter type planets. Here we present the latest results and updates from the most recent engineering and observing runs with the multi-object Keck ET.

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P25

HIGH CONTRAST IMAGING WITH THE HALE 200” TELE-SCOPE AT PALOMAR

Justin Crepp; Joseph Carson; Gene Serabyn; Jian Ge; Ivan KravchenkoUniversity of Florida

We present recent work on a high-contrast imaging effort that is designed to image sub-stellar companions orbiting nearby stars. Our technique is to generate Strehl ratios that exceed 90% at near-infrared wavelengths (1.90-2.30 micron) by effectively turning the Hale 200” (5.093 m) telescope into a smaller (1.5 m diameter) off-axis imager. To eliminate unwanted diffraction, the subsequent circular subaperture conveniently avoids the telescope central obstruction and spiders, and is then magnified and reimaged via relay optics onto the AO system deformable mirror. The starlight then passes through a Lyot coronagraph that is equipped with the same technology that currently repre-sents the baseline design for the Terrestrial Planet Finder-Coro-nagraph, namely a notch-filter image mask, which is manufac-tured with nanoscale precision using electron-beam lithography. This combination of off-axis design, high-order AO, and state-of-the-art coronagraphy, can, in principle, generate contrast levels on the order of 10-5 (i.e. ~12.5 magnitudes) at sub-arcsecond separations.

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P26

CATACLYSMIC VS. CONTINUOUS COLLISIONS IN DEBRIS DISKS: A STUDY OF THE RESOLVED DISK OF zETA LEP

Moerchen, M. M.; Telesco, C. M.; Packham, C. C.; R. S. FisherUniversity of Florida

Debris disks surrounding main-sequence stars emit excess infra-red flux due to scattered light from dust in the near-infrared and thermal re-radiation from dust in the mid-infrared. The debris disk of zeta Lep, an A-type main-sequence star 21.5 pc from the Sun, was discovered by IRAS in 1991 to have a strong infrared excess, which has been confirmed recently with Spitzer photom-etry and is unusually bright for a disk of its estimated age (~300 Myr). It is well known that, for dust to be present in quantities capable of producing such excess emission, it must be supplied continuously through collisional cascades and related process-es. Using high-resolution (~0.5”) mid-infrared imaging at Gem-ini, we are exploring these ongoing physical processes within a sample of known debris disks including zeta Lep, which is the first disk in our sample that we have clearly resolved. Quadratic subtraction of the PSF star from the source indicates a scale size for the disk of ~3 AU from the central star. I will describe the grain properties that can be inferred from our mid-IR observa-tions along with a comparison of two scenarios for the produc-tion of the observed emitting dust. The comparable size of this disk to that of our asteroid belt presents evidence for a new disk archetype -- in contrast to more greatly extended Kuiper Belt analogs such as Beta Pic -- which may explain some debris disks that high resolution imaging observations cannot yet resolve.

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P27

HIGH RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY OF PLANET BEARING STARS

M.C. Galvez; J. GeUniversity of Florida

We present here the first steps of an extended spectroscopic sur-vey in order to characterize stellar hosts of extra-solar planets. We have selected several known stars with planets and using high resolution spectroscopy, we have studied their properties.

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P28

HIGH-RESOLUTION MID-IR IMAGING OF HERBIG AE/BE STARS: MORPHOLOGY OF THE CIRCUMSTELLAR DUST

N. Mariñas; C. M. Telesco; R. S. Fisher; C. PackhamUniversity of Florida

We have imaged the circumstellar environments of 22 nearby Herbig Ae/Be stars (pre-main sequence stars of intermediate mass) in the mid-IR using the Gemini North and South telescopes. All sources included in this sample are optically visible Herbig stars, that have been sub-classified as either group I sources, which have almost flat spectral energy distribution in the mid-infrared, or group II sources, which exhibit a decline towards the far-in-frared. Since mid-IR emission traces the dust hotter than 100 K, our survey sensitivity and spatial resolution allow us to directly explore the morphology of the circumstellar emission in these systems within a couple hundreds of AU from the central star and discriminate between flaring disk geometries, which have been linked to group I sources, and self-shadowed disks thought to be group II sources. We spatially resolve 9 of the 11 group I sources, while all the group II sources show compact unresolved mid-IR emission. In the case of the two unresolved group I sources, the distance to one of the sources has been recently corrected from 164 pc to over 400 pc, placing this source beyond our spatial resolution limit. We believe the other unresolved group I source has been misclassified using the IRAS fluxes; our mid-IR fluxes for this source are almost a factor of 100 lower at 12 microns, and the source is not detected at 18 microns. We have found a strong correlation between the two groups classification and intrinsic spatial differences in the distribution of the circumstellar dust.

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P29

FLAMINGOS SPECTROSCOPY OF LOW MASS STARS AND BROWN DWARFS IN ORION

Rashkind, N.; Levine; J. L., Steinhauer; A.; Lada, E. A.University of Florida

In this poster we present results from a near-infrared spectro-scopic survey of young embedded clusters in the Orion molec-ular cloud complex. These data were obtained as part of the FLAMINGOS/NOAO survey of the star forming content of the five nearest giant molecular clouds. All data were obtained using FLAMINGOS the KPNO 2.1m and 4m telescopes. We use spec-tra to determine effective temperatures for a magnitude-limit-ed sample of cluster sources. These data were then combined with FLAMINGOS J, H, and K-band photometry to determine bolometric luminosities and then place all objects on the H-R diagram. The data are then compared to current pre-main se-quence evolutionary models and we estimate masses and ages for all objects. Finally, we examine the star forming history of the region and investigate the significance of the brown dwarf population.

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P30

DIFFERENTIAL IMAGING ADAPTIVE OPTICS OBSERVATIONS OF THE PROTOSTAR ELIAS 2-29

N. Huelamo; W. Brandner; S. WolfObservatorio de Lisboa

We present dual imaging Adaptive Optics (AO) observations of Elias 2-29, a protostar in the Rho Ophiuchi star forming region. The target is surrounded by a disk (and possibly by an envelope) but it has not been spatially resolved so far. We have obtained dual imaging polarimetric observations with a Wollaston prism using NAOS-CONICA, the AO facility and infrared camera at the VLT. This technique provides high contrast images given that the contribution of the speckle noise is significantly reduced. Our H and K-band observations show the presence of a highly inclined circumstellar disk, which is spatially resolved in polar-ized light. The physical properties of the circumstellar disk will be derived by comparison with theoretical models.

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P31

STOCHASTIC COLLISIONAL EVENTS IN DEBRIS DISKS: WHAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM THE zODIACAL CLOUD?

Thomas J. J. Kehoe; Stanley F. Dermott; Charles M. TelescoUniversity of Florida

Debris disks are composed of dust particles that are not pri-mordial but are continually replenished by the erosion of their planetesimal populations, either as a result of collisional destruc-tion or cometary activity. These debris disks therefore provide a natural laboratory for studying the physical processes that occur during the birth and evolution of planetary systems. The solar system’s debris disk, better known as the zodiacal cloud, is just an example of a debris disk that is much older than those that are typically observed around stars other than the Sun. The results of ongoing collisional activity within planetesimal populations in the solar system can be seen today in the form of asteroid families and the solar system dust bands discovered by the IRAS. These objects are composed of material from opposite ends of the size spectrum of collisional debris released as a result of the disrup-tion of an asteroidal parent body. In fact, several very young asteroid clusters, less than 10 million years old, have recently been discovered and some of these have now been identified as sources of the IRAS dust bands. The orbits of the particles com-prising the dust bands decay as a result of Poynting-Robertson drag and solar-wind drag, causing the dust particles to spiral in towards the Sun on timescales than can be much shorter than this. This implies that we currently observe only the tail-end of an initially much larger flux of particles. Earth accretes some of these particles as they evolve inward and so evidence of the in-tense dust showers resulting from past catastrophic collisional events in the asteroid belt is likely preserved in the geologic record. As in the young solar system, planetesimal populations around other stars probably undergo an intense period of vio-lent collisional evolution during the planet formation epoch that results in the bright debris disks that can be observed at mid-IR wavelengths. Moreover, recent observational evidence supports the hypothesis that even mature systems that still contain belts of planetesimals could occasionally and unexpectedly flare into infrared visibility due to the stochastic catastrophic disruption of those planetesimals, in events similar to those that generated the solar system dust bands. The existence of a comprehensive dataset of observations of the zodiacal cloud enables us to tightly constrain our models and better understand the origin, struc-ture, and evolution of mature debris disks.

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P32

TRACING TIDAL STREAMS WITH GTC: TESTING THE HIER-ARCHICAL FORMATION OF THE MILKY WAY

David Martinez-DelgadoInstituto Astrofísica Canarias

Within the hierarchical framework for galaxy formation, galax-ies are expected to form and evolve through mass infall and through the successive coalescence of smaller, distinct building blocks, such as satellite galaxies merging with their parent gal-axy. This framework predicts distinct tidal stellar streams in and around large galaxies and at r>10 kpc such streams should re-main detectable as coherent stellar over-densities for billions of years. In the last years, different large scale CCD surveys (Sloan Digital Sky Survey, 2MASS, QUEST) have probed for the first time the presence of a significant amount of these substructures in the halo of the Milky Way (MW) in form of long tidal streams or stellar clumps which have been interpreted as the fossil re-cords of the hierarchical Galaxy formation. On the other hand, N-body simulations of these merger events have also been ex-tensively used to associate detected tidal debris with their dwarf progenitor galaxies with the aim of constraining the dynami-cal history of the progenitor satellites and the properties of the MW’s dark matter halo.

This observational and theoretical effort has led to an compre-hensive understanding of the two largest tidal streams discov-ered so far in our Galaxy: the tidal stream of the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy, which wraps the MW in an almost polar orbit ( Martínez-Delgado et al. 2001; Majewski et al. 2003) and the Monoceros tidal stream (Yanny et al. 2002; Ibata et al. 2003), a low-latitude tidal stream whose progenitor moves on a prograde, nearly cir-cular orbit (Peñarrubia, Martínez-Delgado et al. 2005).

In this talk, I present a long term project that exploits the exqui-site image quality of the Gran Telescopio de Canarias to confirm the presence and origin of numerous stellar over-densities de-tected in the Galactic halo, that could be related with the fos-sil records of the hierarchical formation of the Milky Way. The ultimate objective of this project is to complete the census of merger events in our Galaxy, which can be directly compared with the predictions of the Cold Dark Matter cosmological mod-els (Bullock et al. 2004).

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THE OTELO PROJECT: STELLAR COMPONENT IN THE GROTH FIELD

Ana M. Pérez-García; Emilio Alfaro; Jordi Cepa1; Ángel Bon-giovanni; Héctor Castañeda; Jesús Gallego; Ignacio González-Serrano; J. Jesús González-González; Miguel Sánchez-Portal1Instituto Astrofísica Canarias

We present the results of the analysis of the broad band images of the Groth field. This broad band survey was carried out with the 4.2m WHT at La Palma. In particular, we analyze the stel-

lar component of the Groth field, explaining the calibration and selection of point sources methods used. Also, we compare with models of stellar population synthesis of the Galaxy.

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P34

VLT SPECTROSCOPY OF MASSIVE STARS IN NGC55

Norberto Castro Rodriguez; Artemio Herrero Davo; Carrie Trun-dle: Fabio Bressolin: Miriam GarciaInstituto de Astrofisica de Canarias

We present optical VLT spectroscopy of massive stars in NGC55, a nearby spiral galaxy located at about 2 Mpc. The data, taken with FORS2 (3300-6210Å, l /Dl =780) in MXU mode, allow us to provide spectral classification for approximately 200 ob-jects located throughout the galaxy. From this sample, suitable B-type supergiants are chosen for subsequent higher resolution spectroscopic observations that will enable the determination of their chemical composition. The stellar abundances derived for objects located across the galaxy provide information of the metallicity gradient of NGC55, a key point in the study of the galactic evolution. We also discuss how the enhanced sensitivity and spectral resolution of GTC-OSIRIS can be a valuable tool for similar studies in galaxies, both in the Local Group and beyond.

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VLT SPECTROSCOPY OF MASSIVE STARS IN NGC55

Norberto Castro Rodriguez; Artemio Herrero Davo; Carrie Trundle; Fabio Bressolin; Miriam GarciaInstituto de Astrofisica de Canarias

We present optical VLT spectroscopy of massive stars in NGC55, a nearby spiral galaxy located at about 2 Mpc. The data, taken with FORS2 (3300-6210Å, l /Dl =780) in MXU mode, allow us to provide spectral classification for approximately 200 objects located throughout the galaxy. From this sample, suitable B-type supergiants are chosen for subsequent higher resolution spectroscopic observations that will enable the determination of their chemical composition. The stellar abundances derived for objects located across the galaxy provide information of the metallicity gradient of NGC55, a key point in the study of the galactic evolution. We also discuss how the enhanced sensitivity and spectral resolution of GTC-OSIRIS can be a valuable tool for similar studies in galaxies, both in the Local Group and beyond.

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P36

STUDYING THE WAKE OF THE GALACTIC CENTER SOURCE IRS8

R. Scott Fisher; Tom Geballe; Jean-Rene RoyGemini Observatory

In the mid-IR the signature of the dust in the Galactic Center (GC) is unmistakable. Along with a region of complex extend-ed emission there are at least 15 very bright point-like mid-IR sources within a radius of ~3 pc from the central 2x106 solar mass black hole (named Sgr A*). One of the most unusual of these bright mid-IR sources is IRS8 which is located 30” north of Sgr A* in the ‘suburbs’ of the GC. Because of its relatively remote location with respect to the other GC sources, IRS8 has not been studied extensively. Indeed, it was a somewhat seren-dipitous discovery when Geballe et al. (2004) first saw a detailed bow shock of emission associated with the source during SV ob-servations with the near-IR adaptive optics system Hokupa’a on Gemini North.

Here we present preliminary results from our study of this source in the mid-IR with the Gemini instruments T-ReCS and MICHELLE. Our imaging with T-ReCS complements the near-IR data of the discovery paper as it conclusively shows that the bow shock and photosphere of IRS8 are heating the nearby dust to temperatures of several hundred Kelvin. We will also present low and high resolution spectroscopy from MICHELLE. Our low resolution spectra (R~150) show that there is little crystalline silicate dust near IRS8, implying that the hard radiation field of the star is not actively processing any of the ambient ISM dust into crystalline grains. Our high resolution spectra (R ~30000), centered on the Ne[II] line at 12.8 um, allow us to study the de-tailed kinematics of the source by revealing the complex velocity structure of the gas within and near the IRS8 bow shock.

This research is presented to highlight the capabilities of mod-ern facility-class instruments on a 8-10m class telescope. Given that CANARICAM has similar capabilities to both T-ReCS and MICHELLE (including imaging and spectro-polarimetry) the GC region and IRS8 itself will be obvious targets for more in depth studies with the GTC.

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P37

SEARCHING WITH GTC FOR THE CARRIER OF THE ANOMA-LOUS MICROWAVE EMISSION

Susana Iglesias-GrothInstituto Astrofísica Canarias

Several recent experiments have shown evidence for the exis-tence of a new microwave emission process in our Galaxy (in the range 10-60 GHz) that may affect the ability to infer cosmologi-cal parameters from the Cosmic Microwave Background with the aimed precision of 1%. This emission process has been iden-tified in the Perseus Molecular Complex in dark clouds (like LDN 1622) and as a diffuse component at high Galactic latitudes (Fer-nandez-Cerezo et al. 2006). The carrier of this emission process is not identified yet. It could possibly be related to hydrogenated carbon molecules (PAHs and/or fullerenes) fast rotating in those environments and emitting electric dipole radiation. These mol-ecules could also be characterized by optical and infrared transi-tions. We plan to observe with GTC (OSIRIS) selected hot stars located behind regions where clear anomalous emission have been detected in order to detect optical transitions associated to the carriers of this emission. In addition, with CANARICAM we aim to characterize the possible thermal infrared emission lines of the carrier in several dark clouds. The detection of diffuse interstellar bands and thermal infrared lines in regions where anomalous microwave emission is dominant will possibly be key to establish the nature of the responsible particles.

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FIRST INFRARED SPECTROSCOPIC IDENTIFICATION OF A CHANDRA LOW-LUMINOSITY X-RAY SOURCE IN THE GA-LACTIC CENTER

Valerie J. Mikles; Stephen S. Eikenberry; Michael P. Muno; Reba M. Bandyopadhyay; Shannon PatelUniversity of Florida

We present the first results of a campaign to find and identify new compact objects in the Galactic Center. Selecting candi-dates from a combination of Chandra and 2MASS survey data, we search for accretion disk signatures via infrared spectroscopy. We have found the infrared counterpart to the Chandra source CXO J174536.1-285638, the spectrum of which has strong Brackett series and HeI emission. The presence of CIII, NIII, and HeII indicate a binary system. We suggest that the system is some form of high-mass binary system, either a high-mass X-ray binary or a colliding wind binary similar to Eta Carinae. This is the first spectroscopically confirmed counterpart to a Chandra low-lumi-nosity X-ray source.

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P39

CALCIUM II TRIPLET ABUNDANCES FOR A SAMPLE OF LMC CLUSTERS

Aaron J. Grocholski; Andrew A. Cole; Ata Sarajedini; Doug Geisler; Verne V. SmithUniversity of Florida

Results from our spectroscopic survey of populous clusters in the LMC are presented. In an effort to update previous metal-licity determinations, we have utilized FORS2 (in MXU mode) on the Very Large Telescope to obtain near infrared spectra for more than 200 stars in 28 populous LMC clusters. This cluster sample spans a large range of ages (~1-13 Gyr) and metallicities (-0.3 > [Fe/H] > -2.0) and has good areal coverage of the LMC disk. The broad absorption lines of the Calcium II triplet (CaT) are used to derive cluster radial velocities and abundances; for eight of these clusters, we report the first spectroscopically de-termined metallicities based on individual cluster stars, and six of these eight have no published radial velocity measurements.

This work is supported by NSF CAREER grant AST-0094048 to Ata Sarajedini.

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P40

THE MID-INFRARED EMISSION OF M87

E. Perlman1; R. Mason2; C. Packham3; J. Schaefer3; J. Radom-ski4; M. Imanishi5; N. A. Levenson6; M. Elitzur6; W. Sparks7

1University of Maryland, Baltimore County; 2NOAO Gemini Sci-ence Center; 3University of Florida; 4Gemini; 5NAOJ; 6University of Kentucky; 7STScI

We discuss imaging and spectroscopy of M87 in the mid-infra-red, using observations with Subaru and the Spitzer Space Tele-scope. Our previous work showed that at N band the nucleus of M87 is dominated by the AGN point-source, but was marginally resolved. The Spitzer data include high signal-to-noise spectra of both the nucleus between 5-35 microns, and of the knot A/B complex between 15-35 microns, while the Subaru data contain imaging, plus spectroscopy of the nucleus only between 8-13 microns. As expected, the spectrum of the knot A/B complex is consistent with synchrotron emission from components in the jet. However, a single-component synchrotron model cannot account for the IR continuum from the nucleus, even when contributions to the spectra from components in the jet (due to the degrading of resolution with wavelength) are included. We model the extra long-wavelength flux as thermal emission from cool dust at a temperature of about 60 K, with an IR luminos-ity of 4 x 1038 erg s-1. We also find several emission lines from low-ionization species in the nuclear spectrum. We discuss the implications of these findings for our understanding of M87 and also for unified AGN models.

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P41

THE STELLAR STRUCTURES AROUND DISK GALAXIES

Igor Drozdovsky; Antonio Aparicio; Carme Gallart; Sebastian Hidalgo; Matteo Monelli; Eduard Bernard; Nikolay Tikhonov; Olga GalazutdinovaInstituto de Astrofisica de Canarias

I’ll present a summary of our systematic and homogeneous analysis of the surface number counts and population gradients of the resolved stars in surroundings of the nearby disk galax-ies, observed with space- (Hubble & Spitzer) and ground-based telescopes. We examine the radial (in-plane) and vertical (ex-traplanar) distributions as a function of stellar age by tracking changes in the color-magnitude diagram of face-on and edge-on galaxies. Our data show that the scale length and height of a stel-lar population increases with age, with oldest of the detected red giant branch population (RGB) identified at large galactocentric radii or extraplanar height, out to typically a few kpc. In the most massive of the studied galaxies there is evidence for a break in number density and color gradients of evolved RGB stars, which plausibly correspond to the thick disk and halo components of the galaxies. The results may imply that all massive spiral galaxies not only have a thick disk but also poses an extended halo, while dwarf disk galaxies have solely a thin/thick disk component. However, our photometric data need to be complement with kinematic information of these stars that can be provided my multi-object spectrographs on 10-m class telescopes. The fea-sibility of the radial velocity observations based on the strength of the near-infrared calcium triplet will be discussed. This type of analysis will allow us to shed light on fundamental questions about the evolution of disk galaxies, such as disk heating versus merger scenarios and a role of these mechanisms in forming the stellar disks and halo.

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P42

STUDYING GALAXY FORMATION AND EVOLUTION FROM THE LOCAL GROUP GALAXIES

C. Gallart; A. Aparicio; E. Bernard; R. Carrera; I. Drozdovsky; S. Hidalgo; A. Mar’in-Franch; I. Meschin; M. Monelli; N. Noel; A. RosenbergInstituto de Astrofisica de Canarias

The Local Group galaxies can be studied in great detail from their resolved stars, and thanks to the current superb observing

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facilities, and theoretical modeling. We plan to study the gal-axy formation and evolution process through a comprehensive study of Local Group galaxies. To accomplish this goal, we plan to use a number of complementary tools which will allow us to study the two main mechanisms that determine galaxy forma-tion and evolution, namely: 1. The star formation history, and its influence on galaxy evolution, through: - The study of deep color-magnitude diagrams of each galaxy; - The spectroscopic abundances of resolved stars; -The analysis of the properties of their variable stars; -The study of the Milky Way Cluster system. 2. The mass assembly and the dynamical evolution of each sys-tem, through: -The stellar population gradients and kinematics of stars of different ages; -The dynamics of the Local Group and the influence of interactions on galaxy evolution.

This project is designed in order to make an excellent use of GTC and its first light instruments, in special OSIRIS. In this Poster, we present examples of ongoing research on the sub-projects above.

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P43

HIGH RESOLUTION MID-INFRARED IMAGING OF SEYFERT NUCLEI: CURRENT RESULTS AND THE FUTURE WITH CA-NARICAM ON THE GTC

James Radomski; Chris Packham; Charles M. TelescoGemini Observatory

The study of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) represents a signifi-cant area of research in astrophysics. Thought to be primarily powered by a supermassive black hole these objects can pro-duce thousands of times more energy than the entire Milky Way galaxy on scales smaller than our solar system. A subset of these galaxies, Seyferts, represents the closest species and thus pro-vides an ideal laboratory to study not only this subclass of AGN but also the phenomena as a whole. Buried deep in the centers of galaxies, mid-infrared imaging provides and ideal approach to studying Seyfert nuclei which may be completely obscured at optical wavelengths. The mid-IR traces multiple emission mech-anisms associated with AGN including emission from a dusty torus surrounding the central black hole and circumnuclear starburst activity. In this talk I will highlight the results of an on-going high spatial resolution mid-IR imaging survey of Seyferts and discuss the future of such research with CanariCam on the GTC.

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P44

RESULTS OF HIGH-SPATIAL RESOLUTION MID-IR IMAGING OF NGC7172: AND THE DISCUSSION AND APPLICICATION OF RESULTS FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF MID-IR DATA REFINEMENT TECHNIQUES

Justin J. Schaefer; Chris. P. Packham; Charles M. Telesco; James T. RadomskiUniversity of Florida

We present results from an analysis of high-spatial resolution im-ages of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC7172 (0.09”/pixel), as observed by T-ReCS on Gemini South at 10 microns. We discuss emission contributions of the galaxy and the nucleus to the mid-IR image, and use archival data to examine the spectral energy distribution of this galaxy. In particular, we discuss the contributions of the unresolved nuclear bulge and ionization cones to the observed 10 micron flux. We then present the results of a mid-IR noise reduction technique, and demonstrate its application to images which have chop/nod subtracted residual noise.

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P45

GALAXY CLUSTER ASSEMBLY AT z ~ 0.37

Lauren Davis; Anthony GonzalezUniversity of Florida

We present new results from a multiwavelength study of the su-pergroup SG1120-1202. Consisting of at least four gravitation-ally bound galaxy groups at z = 0.371, the supergroup will merge to form a cluster with a mass of approximately that of the Coma cluster by z ~ 0. This system presents a unique opportunity to study the impact of cluster assembly on the morphologies and star formation rates of group galaxies. Data are avalable from the HST, Chandra, Spitzer, and ground based optical and infra-red; we determined group membership using optical spectros-copy from Magellan and VIMOS on the VLT. We are now initiat-ing work to explore the correspondence between star formation rates derived from optical spectroscopy and MIPS observations to determine the total star formation rate in this system. Finally, we note that OSIRIS and EMIR on the GTC will provide a valu-able means of expanding upon our current program by supply-ing the imaging and multi-object spectroscopy necessary for an extension of the program to the surrounding environment.

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P46

THE STELLAR POPULATIONS OF M33’S OUTER REGIONS

Michael Barker; Ata Sarajedini; Doug Geisler; Paul Harding; Robert SchommerUniversity of Florida

Studying the stellar populations in the outskirts of spiral galaxies can provide important constraints on their structure, formation, and evolution. To that end, we present deep HST/ACS photom-etry of three fields located at deprojected radii of ~6 - 9 K-band scale-lengths southeast of M33’s nucleus. The radial distribution of stellar surface density declines exponentially

with increasing galactocentric distance which is indicative of a disk population. The color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) reveal a population with a mix of ages from ~100 Myr to ~10 Gyr. The red giant branch metallicity decreases from -1.1 to -1.3 across all three fields, a gradient consistent with that of M33’s inner disk. We also present preliminary results on the star formation history of these fields using the technique of synthetic CMD fitting.

Support for this work (proposal number GO-9479) was provided by NASA through a grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Incorporated, under NASA contract NAS5-26555.

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P47

MEASURING THE INHOMOGENEOUS OBSCURATION OF AGN WITH MID-INFRARED OBSERVATIONS

N. A. Levenson; M. Elitzur; T. R. Geballe; R. E. Mason; M. Nen-kova; M. M. SirockyUniversity of Kentucky

Accretion onto supermassive black holes is the energy source of active galactic nuclei (AGN), and many of the diverse observed characteristics of AGN can be accounted for in terms of varia-tions in viewing geometry toward this common central engine. The intrinsic hard emission must be blocked from some lines of sight, and it is reprocessed to emerge at infrared (IR) wave-lengths. IR observations therefore provide the best probes of the obscuring region itself.

Despite the successes of existing ``unified AGN models,’’ cur-rent data reveal several problems with descriptions that include a homogeneous obscuring torus. First, X-ray data indicate a wide range of column densities along the line of sight, while the IR spectral energy distributions show little variation. Second, uniform models predict silicate emission around 10um in all di-rectly-viewed (type 1) sources, and absorption in all obscured (type 2) sources. The emission is in fact detected from only a small number of type 1 sources, and the depth of the feature is not strongly correlated with the total obscuration of type 2 sources.

Recent models of inhomogeneous obscuration by large optical depth clouds solve these problems. Mid-IR spectroscopy and imaging may then constrain the physical parameters in model-

ling individual AGN, including the optical depth per cloud, the number of clouds along the line of sight, the radial variation and height of the distribution, and the viewing angle. We can also re-cover the intrinsic AGN luminosity in the type 2 sources, where it cannot be measured directly. We apply these diagnostics to observations of NGC 1068.

We demonstrate that in general the mid-IR emission is anisotro-pic on small scales, which may be discerned in nearby, luminous examples. In all cases, however, the dominant emission is con-fined to very small physical scales, even though the total extent of the cloud distribution may be large.

High spatial resolution is essential to isolate the immediate cir-cumnuclear region from larger-scale emission. The Gran Tele-scopio CANARIAS with CanariCam will be ideally suited to obtain these sensitive data. In the future, we will measure true samples of many galaxies to understand the obscuration of AGN more generally, rather than rely on isolated examples of excep-tional sources.

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P48

MID-IR STUDIES OF NEARBY AGN AT HIGH SPATIAL RESO-LUTION

R. Mason; C. Packham; N. Levenson; T. Geballe; M. Elitzur; J. Radomski; S. Fisher; E. Perlman; A. Petric; G. WrightGemini Observatory

The unified model of active galactic nuclei (AGN), which ex-plains the differences between types 1 and 2 AGN with a to-roidal cloud of dust and gas that obscures the broad line gas from some viewing angles while leaving it exposed from oth-ers, brought some much-needed order to the active galaxy zoo. The detection of broad emission lines in polarised light in many Seyfert 2 galaxies demonstrates the basic validity of the model, but many questions remain as to the precise nature (extent, ge-ometry, dust properties...) of the obscuration and the extent to which this simple model can really account for the differences between the AGN types.

The dusty “torus” will strongly absorb UV/visible radiation from the nucleus and re-emit it in the mid-IR, so observations at these wavelengths, and in particular of the strong Si-O bond stretch around 10 microns, can provide strong constraints on models aiming to explain and predict the emission from AGN. Further-more, observations from the largest ground-based telescopes are starting show that the MIR-emitting regions of these objects can be highly complex – the spatial resolution currently obtainable only from the ground is a crucial complement to sensitive Spitzer observations of active galaxies. Here we present high-resolution MIR observations of two nearby galaxies that tackle issues as di-verse as the contribution of the torus to the small-aperture MIR emission, the AGN-starburst connection, and the application of the unified model to very low-luminosity AGN. The combination of resolution and sensitivity expected from CanariCam on the GTC will provide a valuable opportunity to further explore the avenues opened up by this early research.

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P49

SPATIALLY-RESOLVED MID-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY OF IC 5063

Stuart Young; Christopher Packham; James T. Radomski; Charles M. TelescoUniversity of Hertfordshire

IC 5063 (PKS 2048-572) is a nearby (z=0.011) narrow-line radio galaxy resident in what is usually classified as an S0-type gal-axy. A prominent dust lane is observed partially covering the eastern half of the host galaxy. With a radio power that is about two orders of magnitude greater than nearby Seyfert galaxies, IC 5063 is in the range of low-luminosity radio elliptical galaxies. The optical spectrum is dominated by relatively narrow emis-sion lines and narrow band imaging reveals an extended nar-row line region aligned with the extended radio emission at a position angle of approximately 303 degrees (Colina et al. 1991). The discovery of scattered broad lines observed in polarized flux (Inglis et al. 1993) revealed the presence of an obscured type-1 nucleus, the first observation of this phenomenon in an interme-diate power radio galaxy.

Here we present spatially-resolved, near-diffraction-limited 10 micron spectra of the nucleus of IC 5063, obtained with Ther-mal-Region Camera Spectrograph (T-ReCS), the mid-IR imager and spectrometer on the 8.1 m Gemini South telescope. The slit was aligned along the direction of the cone of narrow-line emission. The spectra cover the nucleus and the inner reaches of the ionization cones at a spatial resolution of approximately 0.4 arcsecs (90 parsecs). Spectra extracted in steps along the slit reveal variations in continuum slope and silicate feature profile and depth on subarcsecond scales, illustrating in unprecedented detail the complexity of the circumnuclear regions of this galaxy at mid-IR wavelengths. The dust population in the region of the narrow-line region is significantly warmer than that to the SE of the nucleus. This is consistent with an observation of the cooler dust present in the outer reaches of the postulated torus that obscures the type-1 nucleus in this object.

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P50

OPTICAL VARIABILITY OF INFRARED POWER LAW-SELECT-ED GALAXIES & X-RAY SOURCES IN THE GOODS SOUTH FIELD

Alison Klesman; Vicki SarajediniUniversity of Florida

This study investigates the use of optical variability to identify AGN in the GOODS South field. Photometry was performed on a sample of 23 infrared power law-selected AGN candidates and 83 X-ray sources with optical counterparts. Each object is classi-fied with a variability significance value, which is related to the standard deviation of its magnitude in five epochs separated by 45-day intervals. The variability significance is compared to IR and X-ray properties of the sources. We find that the majority of high-significance variables are consistent with IR spectral en-ergy distributions typical of BLAGNs and are usually softer X-ray sources. Nonetheless, 30% of the IR-selected AGN candidates without X-ray emission, generally thought to be highly obscured sources, are significantly to marginally variable in the optical, confirming their AGN nature.

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P51

STELLAR POPULATIONS IN LUMINOUS COMPACT BLUE GALAXIES

Carlos Hoyos; Ángeles I. Díaz; Rafael Guzmán; David C. Koo; Matthew B. BershadyUniversidad Autónoma de Madrid

We investigate the star formation history and stellar populations of four Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies (LCBGs) at intermedi-ate redshift using evolutionary population synthesis techniques. The derived stellar generations and star formation histories are compared to those of other local systems, including H-II galax-ies and Blue Compact Dwarves. We find that the first episodes of star formation these systems underwent happened at z=0.7. The stellar populations found are similar to the ones found in HII galaxies but not to BCDGs. The HI and dark matter content are thought to be small. This particular sample of LCBGs can evolve to a dE or Sph stage, provided that there are no further star forming episodes. The data on the LCBG sample were obtained with the WFPC2 and STIS instruments on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

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P52

MERGER FRACTION IN GROTH STRIP

Lopez, Carlos; Balcells, Marc; Prieto, MercedesInstituto Astrofísica Canarias

At the moment exist two principal theories to explain the for-mation of local structures and galaxies: the hierarchical model, which supposes a low-z formation of the most massive galaxies by mergers and the monolithic model, which supposes a high-z formation of those galaxies and the subsequent passive evolu-tion.

One of the parameters that can inform us about which model is the most important in the galaxy formation is the merger frac-tion (fmg) and his change with the redshift. Fmg is defined as the ratio number of merger galaxies/total number of galaxies.

In this poster we present the first results in the determination of fmg evolution from the GOYA Survey, in the Groth strip. We obtain the fmg in two ways: 1) Study of merger galaxies with the automatic morphological CAS system; 2) Study of pair galaxy counts.

In this study we use a Ks-band selected catalog, because we want to calibrate the fmg with the mass of the galaxies, which is better reproduced by this band.

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P53

KS BAND-SELECTED GALAXY CATALOG 0 < z < 5

David Abreu; Marc Balcells; Cesar E. García; Mercedes Prieto; Carmen ElicheInstituto Astrofísica Canarias

The redshift-evolution of the K-band luminosity function (LF) of galaxies provides important empirical information on the rate of mass assembly of galaxies. Using the GOYA Survey UBVIJK imaging of the Groth strip, we have defined a catalog of distant galaxies limited by K-band flux. 2400 galaxies were detected in K over the 133 sq. arcmin of the HST/WFPC2 mapping of the Groth strip, and aperture photometry is available for the remain-ing bands. Photometric redshifts (Hyperz) could be derived for ~2000 sources in the range 0<z<5. For z < 1.5, excellent agree-ment is found with spectroscopic redshifts, with <dz/(1+z)> = 0.07. Such catalog will provide a robust determination of the evolution of the K-LF, as well as the galaxy mass function, to z~1.5.

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P54

SMBH-HOST GALAXY EVOLUTION AT HIGH REDSHIFTS

Fred Hamann; Craig Warner; Matthias Dietrich; Linda WatsonUniversity of Florida

Super-Massive Black Holes (SMBHs) are common and prob-ably inevitable byproducts of galaxy formation. Recent studies indicate that every massive galaxy has an SMBH in its core and, moreover, that the mass of the SMBH scales directly with the mass of the host galactic spheroid. There is, in addition, a well-established positive correlation between galaxy mass and galaxy metallicity. However, both of these relationships to galaxy mass have been studied so far only at ~zero redshift (i.e., in present-day galaxies). To examine these relationships at high redshifts and study their evolution across cosmic time, we have begun a program of spectroscopic emission-line observations of AGNs at both “low” (z < 0.5) and high (z > 1.8) redshifts that have pub-lished imaging data of their host galaxies (e.g., with the Hubble Space Telescope). The combined dataset will test the hypothesis that the gas-phase metallicities near AGNs also scale with host galaxy mass by making the first direct comparison between these two quantities. We will also examine the M_BH versus M_bulge relationship, and compare critical AGN properties (such as SMBH mass, metallicity, and the accretion diagnostic L/L_edd) to host luminosity/mass, over ~7 Gyr of cosmic time - thus pro-viding key constraints on coupled AGN-SMBH-galaxy evolution. Finally, we will compare the SMBH masses derived from the H-beta and CIV 1549A emission lines, and compare both to the host galaxy luminosities, to calibrate the use of CIV as a mass diagnostic at high redshifts. This work lays the groundwork for future large AGN/galaxy surveys, such as GOYA with the GTC.

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THE OBJECT SELECTION FOR THE GOYA SURVEY

Guillermo Barro Calvo; Jesus Gallego; Jaime zamorano; Vic-tor VillarUniversidad Complutense de Madrid

I will present my current thesis work about the preliminar stud-ies on the target selection for the incoming “GOYA survey”: The Goya survey, is one of the GTC scientific projects, which aims to study the properties of galaxies at high redshift using the NIR multi-slit spectrograph which is being constructed for GTC (EMIR).

In particular, to study the galactic evolution, GOYA will carry out an spectroscopic study of the emission-line galaxy population at the 1.4-2.8 redshift range, and given that EMIR will provide NIR spectroscopy for up to 50 targets, to obtain a wide sample of se-lected galaxies will be a key part of the project, which has to be performed before the first light of the instrument.

Our work on the target selection follows two different approach-es: (1) Reducing and extracting catalogs from deep K-band in-frared images on the Groth strip, to provide nIR data for photo-

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redshift calculations, and (2) designing and interactive database for the GOODS fields (HDF-N and CDFS), based on public multi wave length information, which will provides us with a fast in-terface to obtain samples of galaxies that fulfill the requirements of the GOYA survey.

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GTC FOLLOW-UP OF AzTEC SOURCES: PROBING HIGH-z DUSTY STARBURSTS

Itziar Aretxaga; AzTEC teamINAOE

AzTEC is the 144 pixel 1.1/2.1mm bolometer camera of the 50-m Large Millimeter Telescope that, previous to installation in its final home, has now completed its first scientific run on the 15m JCMT. We describe the instrument, its first scientific run that car-ried out both galactic and extragalactic projects, and focus on the follow up of the AzTEC high-z galaxies that the GTC will be able to accomplish.

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THE OTELO PROJECT

Jordi Cepa; Emilio Alfaro; Angel Bongiovanni; Héctor Casta-ñeda; Jesús Gallego; J.I. González-Serrano; J.J. González; D. Heath Jones; A.M. Pérez-García; Miguel Sánchez-PortalInstituto Astrofísica Canarias

OTELO, the key OSIRIS science project, is a deep emission line object survey to be performed with the OSIRIS Tunable Filters, in selected atmospheric windows relatively free of sky emission lines. The observing strategy will allow studying a clearly defined volume of the Universe at a known flux limit. The total survey sky area is about 1 square degree, distributed in different high latitude and low extinction fields with adequate angular separa-tions. The survey will result in 3D data cubes covering 150+180 Å wavelength intervals at spectral resolution of ~700, from which spectra of the different sources will be retrieved. A 5s depth of 10-18 erg/cm2/s will make OTELO the deepest emission line survey to date. The expected number of emitters is of the order of 10000, where 10% would be Ha star forming emitters up to a z= 0.4 (about 10% of these would be low luminosity star forming galaxies), 70% would be star forming emitters detected at other optical emission lines up to a z = 1.5; 5% Lya emitters at z up to 6.7 (10% of the age of the Universe), 15% QSO and AGNs

at different redshifts, and about 0.5% galactic emission stars. The spectra extracted from the data cubes will allow deblending the Ha from the [NII]658.3,654.8 nm lines, thus allowing an estima-tion of the metal contents of the targets and the possibility to discriminate between the various AGN types. An auxiliary UB-VRIJK broadband survey of the OTELO fields, currently under way, will allow, through photometric redshifts, the identification of the emission lines detected, as well as a morphological clas-sification of the emitting sources.

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THE OTELO PROJECT: DEEP X-RAY AND OPTICAL OBSERVA-TIONS OF THE GROTH STRIP

Miguel Sánchez-Portal; Ana M. Pérez-García; Mirjana Povic; Jor-di Cepa; Emilio Alfaro; Ángel Bongiovanni; Héctor Castañeda; Jesús Gallego; Ignacio González-Serrano; J. Jesús González-GonzálezInstituto Astrofísica Canarias

We present a preliminary analysis of public, deep (200 ksec) Chandra/ACIS observations of three fields comprising the origi-nal Groth-Westphal strip, gathered from the Chandra Data Ar-chive, combined with optical VRI data from our broadband survey carried out with the 4.2m WHT at La Palma. Several distance-independent diagnostic tools are applied, including the X-ray to optical flux ratio (X/O) and hardness ratios (HR). The optical properties (B/T ratio, colours) of the X-ray emitters are reviewed.

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A SURVEY OF QUASARS AND THEIR HOST GALAXIES AT HIGH REDSHIFT

Leah Simon; Fred HamannUniversity of Florida

Quasars are valuable tools for the study of star formation in the early Universe. High redshift quasars are bright, and thus easily observable objects, ideally located in redshift to probe their host galaxies’ metallicities at great distances and early times. Their location within the host galaxy allows these metallicity measure-ments to be made through observing the quasar emission and absorption lines. Most of the work so far has used the emission lines, as they are relatively easy to measure in large samples of objects. The results suggest that quasar environments are typi-cally metal rich, with gas-phase metallicities near solar or higher

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at all observed redshifts. However this analysis has some signifi-cant uncertainties. Other independent abundance checks are needed in order to confirm results from this popular technique. We use very high resolution echelle spectra from VLT-UVES for 8 high redshift (z of 2 to z of 4.6) quasars, selected to contain candidate intrinsic absorbers, and encompassing a typical rest-frame spectral range from approximately 900 Angstroms to 2500 Angstroms, designed to include at least Lyman alpha and CIV spectral features. We perform one of the first analyses of absorp-tion line metallicities in high redshift quasars and present first es-timates of these metallicites as well as estimates for the absorber locations relative to the quasar. This new information will shed more light on the star formation in these high redshift objects, with high metallicities supporting earlier suggestions of multiple epochs of star formation at early times. The GTC will be impor-tant for expanding the sample of quasar abundance studies to a wider redshift range, and could also be instrumental in deducing relationships between quasar metallicities, the extent of their star formation, and the actual physical properties of these quasars and their hosts.

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BULGE COLORS OF INTERMEDIATE REDSHIFT GALAXIES

L. Dominguez-Palmero; M. Balcells; M. PrietoInstituto de Astrofisica de Canarias

We have studied the colors of the bulge component of 123 gal-axies from the HST Groth Strip Survey, covering redshifts 0.1 < z < 1.3. We selected all objects with apparent radii R > 1.4’’, and with inclination above 50° in order to avoid reddening from dust in the disk on one side of the bulges. We find that, as in the Local Universe, the minor axis color profiles are negative (bluer outward), and fairly gentle, indicating that bulge colors are not distinctly different from disk colors. In most cases, dust bands are the most important morphological structure in the color maps.

In a subsample of big-bulge galaxies, we analize central rest-frame colors using K-corrections. Bulge colors do not globally become bluer at higher redshifts. This suggests that there were ``old’’ bulges at z = 0.8’’. The color-magnitude distribution of intermediate-z bulges shows more color dispersion than that of bulges in the Local Universe. About 50% of bulges are as red as local bulges, while the remainder are significantly bluer, a pos-sible sign of late bulge formation.

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GOYA SURVEY: U, B AND K GALAXY NUMBER COUNTS

Mercedes Prieto; M.Carmen Eliche-Moral; Marc Balcells; Cesar E. Garcia-Dabo; Peter Erwin; David Cristobal-HornillosInstituto de Astrofisica de Canarias

We present U and B number counts from a field of the GOYA Survey that covers ~900 sq. arcmin over the Groth-Westphal Strip. Achieved limiting magnitudes (50% detection efficiency for point sources) are U = 24.8 mag and B = 25.5 mag, in the Vega system. The counts have been corrected for detection ef-ficiency as a function of source size, for spurious detections and star-galaxy separation.

Counts are given over 18.0<U<25.0 and 19.5<B<25.5. The combination of the blue number count distributions, which are almost featureless over our magnitude range, with the Ks number count distribution, which shows a knee at intermediate magnitudes, Ks=17.5 mag, provides useful constraints on the galaxy formation models. We provide the first galaxy number count model that accounts for both blue (U, B) and NIR (Ks) number counts. Adopting a L-dominated cosmological model (WM = 0.3, W

L = 0.7, H0 = 70 km s-1 Mpc-1, luminosity evolution

from GISSEL SEDs, the local morphologically-dependent lumi-nosity function derived from the SDSS and number evolution, we can accurately reproduces the observed counts in U, B, and Ks in a consistent way, if we assume that the more of the earliest galaxies were formed at z~1.5 via merger of disc galaxies.

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HIGH VELOCITY OUTFLOWS IN QUASARS

Paola Rodriguez Hidalgo; Fred Hamann; Daniel NestorUniversity of Florida

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are believed to be powered by accretion onto a Super-Massive Black Holes (SMBH). In order to have material falling into the SMBH, angular momentum con-servation requires a counterpart for this accretion that is fueling the SMBH in the AGN. Outflows might play an essential role in active galactic nuclei. They show common occurance, both in quasars (30%-40% in optically selected quasars) and Seyfert galaxies (approx. 60%), but might be obiquitous if, they only sub-tend a small angular distance in the sky. Moreover, they bring information from the AGN inner regions, which is not accesible through other ways.

Although for more than a decade models have included material outflowing from an accretion disk around a SMBH, surprisingly there is no consensus in our understanding of basic properties like the acceleration mechanism(s), launch radii, mass loss rates, terminal velocities, etc. We are involved in a program to derive basic dynamical characteristics for some well-studied individual flows. Moreover, we are especially interested in High Velocity (HV) outflows since they will present unique challenges for the above mentioned theoretical models.

Previously some classes of outflows have been studied, such as

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the broad absorption lines (BALs; FWHM > 3,000 km/s). We have developed the first systematic accounting of outflow lines, taking advantage of Sloan Digital Sky Survey data. Based on this work, we have begun a program to study a nearly unexplored part of AGN parameter space: HV winds with v > 10,000 km/s but small velocity dispersions (narrow absorption lines), previ-ously attributed to unrelated (intervening) gas, but that recent statistical studies confirm to be (approx. 36%) AGN winds. Vari-ability studies can confirm whether absorption lines are unrelat-ed (intervening) or related to the AGN (winds). We are currently collecting data on this matter.

The GTC will allow us to extend this work into the larger context of AGN/SMBH/galaxy evolution. For example, deep red and in-frared spectroscopy and adaptive optics imaging will allow us to push to higher redshifts, to fainter and less massive objects, and examine the relationship of AGN accretion/wind properties to the host galaxy environments.

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ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI SURVEYS WITH THE GTC

Vicki SarajediniUniversity of Florida

Active Galactic Nuclei candidates can be identified in deep, multi wave length surveys via an array of selection techniques. This talk will discuss recent surveys for AGN in deep HST fields and the use of the GTC and, more specifically, the GOYA project to investigate the AGN population at z=1.

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MULTIWAVELENGTH ANALYSIS OF H ALPHA SELECTED GALAXIES AT z=0.6

Villar, V.; Gallego, J.; zamorano, J.; Koo, D; Noeske, KUniversidad Complutense de Madrid

We present an Ha-selected galaxy sample at z~0.8. Objects have been selected by their contrast in narrow band filters centered at 12000Å and its nature has been confirmed with optical spectros-copy. Ha luminosity function and Star Formation Rate density (SFRd) have been measu red and presented. A multiwavelength analysis has been carried out in order to compare the different star formation rates obtained with the UV continuum, [OII] line flux, Ha line flux and IR flux.

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ELMER IMAGING: CHARACTERIzATION AND PERFOR-MANCE RESULTS FROM THE PRE-SHIPPING ACCEPTANCE TESTS

Juanma Martin-Fleitas; Maria L. García-Vargas; Antonio Ca-brera Lavers; Ralf Kohley; Peter Hammersley; Ernesto Sanchez-Blanco; Manuel Maldonado IAC

Elmer is a multi-purpose instrument for the GTC designed for both, Imaging and Spectroscopy in the visible range (365nm - 1000 nm). Elmer has been exhaustively characterized at la La-guna for 2 years.

Imaging will be done through standard SDSS broad band filters as well as a set of narrow band filters. This poster presents the instrument performance in terms of FOV, fiducial position, plate scale, field distortion, flexures, focus, image quality, throughput, ghosts, stray light control, etc as well as a detailed discussion for Narrow Band Imaging with real data.

Finally, we summary the results and performance at laboratory for the fast spectro-photometry modes. This opens a wide range of scientific possibilities for time-resolved observations. This can be done thanks to the design of this mode from the beginning and the use of an E2V Technologies CCD44-82 detector with Frame Transfer and Charge Shuffling capabilities.

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ELMER SPECTROSCOPY: CHARACTERIzATION AND PER-FORMANCE RESULTS FROM THE PRE-SHIPPING ACCEP-TANCE TESTS

Antonio Cabrera Lavers; Juanma Martin-Fleitas; Maria L. Gar-cía-Vargas; Peter Hammersley; Ralf Kohley; Ernesto Sanchez-Blanco; Manuel MaldonadoIAC

Elmer is a multi-purpose instrument for the GTC designed for both, Imaging and Spectroscopy, in the visible range (365nm - 1000 nm). Elmer has been exhaustively characterized at la La-guna for 2 years. Spectroscopy is done with prisms, grisms and VPHs, providing resolution powers of 200, 1000 and 2500 over the whole wavelength range.

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The complete set of tests has allowed characterizing important parameters like: fiducial position and slit viewing (for acquisi-tion), spectral coverage, spectral resolution (Resolving Power, Dispersion), central wavelength, flexures, focus, image quality, throughput and ghosts, associated to each of the dispersive el-ements and in each of the possible configurations. This poster summarizes the performance in both, Long Slit and Multi-object modes, as well as provides a summary of the calibration and data reduction strategies for Spectroscopy with Elmer.

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